Aston Villa ace Leon Bailey has praised Unai Emery for the impact he’s had on him since he arrived at the club after a difficult period prior to that.
The 26-year-old joined us from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2021, but injuries and competition for places stunted his adaptation and the process of settling into his new surroundings and with his new teammates.
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The Jamaican international scored just one goal and provided two assists in 18 Premier League games in his debut campaign as a Villa player, and although he was still limited to 36 outings across all competitions last season, there was a clear improvement, particularly after Emery was appointed in October, as he finished the year with five goals and four assists.
This season though has been a completely different story. Not only has Bailey become more consistent in his durability and availability having made 51 appearances thus far, he’s bagged 14 goals and 14 assists in his most prolific campaign as a Villa player yet.
While he deserves praise for the hard work he’s put in and the quality he’s showing on the pitch, he puts his success down to Emery’s influence and impact on him and his teammates, and he praised his man-management skills on top of the tactical side of the game.
“He has had a lot of influence on me and he has brought back my confidence,” Bailey told Premier League Productions, as per BirminghamLive. “I never once doubted myself coming here. If you watched me before, people know the quality I have and what I can do on the pitch.
“But it’s when players are not happy, you can’t get the best out of them. Unai has given me that confidence again. When Dean left, it was like, okay I came for this person and now they are gone.
“Then another coach came in and it was just like, the relationship wasn’t really there, for me. I wasn’t feeling confident and had no comfort. We wouldn’t have chats to let me feel like I was needed here.
“I also felt like I was just another player and I don’t like to feel like that because I know what I am capable of and what I can do when I’m on the pitch. I like to have a relationship with my coach. I think I am like that because of my dad – he is always there. He will make sure that he lets you know that I am good and we are very close and he has been there since I was seven.
“Once I feel that, I will give my everything for that person. I never felt that before Unai came in, at all. When Unai came in, he gave me that feeling of confidence and comfort, the trust, everything. That’s when it changed for me.
“At one point, I was not happy at all and I wanted to leave, but when Unai came in everything changed. He has given everything I need and he is the best manager I have worked with. And I think he will be the best manager that I will work with for a long time. I respect him so much that if I don’t start a game, it doesn’t matter.
“I have that much trust in him and I believe in everything he is doing for the team. He has helped me a lot to really get people to see again what I am able to do. He is very important for us. What he has created has been truly remarkable. He is a really good example of a manager to have and the players really like him.”
While we could see all was not right on the pitch under Steven Gerrard given our performances and results, the way Bailey speaks about that period suggests that it was a difficult time for him personally and perhaps others.
Fortunately, we’ve not looked back since that tenure, as Emery has taken us on a trajectory of real promise and progress, and Bailey isn’t the only player to significantly improve under his tutelage over the last 18 months.
Villa will hope to secure a Champions League spot on Monday night when we host Liverpool, and Bailey will likely play through the pain barrier and fatigue to hopefully cap off what has been an excellent season for him and us with another important display to get the all-important three points that will secure fourth place for Villa.