Aston Villa defender Matty Cash has discussed the influence Unai Emery has had on the squad, and revealed what attributes have stood out so far.
Emery took charge at Villa last November, at a time where we were languishing near the relegation zone and struggling after a bitterly disappointing start to the campaign under former boss Steven Gerrard.
READ MORE: Why top Villa talent is now ready for chance under Emery
However, a superb upturn in form under the Spaniard eventually saw us finish in seventh place in the Premier League standings and qualify for the Europa Conference League, with club records being set and few teams boasting a better run of form in that time period.
Given his experience and pedigree through his previous jobs, there was always an expectation that things would dramatically improve, but few would arguably have been able to predict the speed with which we have made that progress, and now we enter a new season with real optimism over how far Emery can take us.
Cash struggled initially to entirely convince that he could adapt to Emery’s tactical demands, while injuries didn’t help him either as Ashley Young played a prominent role in the second half of last season. To his credit, he showed improvement and enjoyed a solid run in the Villa XI before another injury setback, and that perhaps solidified his place in the Villa boss’s plans moving forward.
Speaking about Emery, Cash pinpointed some specific areas and characteristics that he has been left impressed with and how they influenced our turnaround last year, as well as looking to the future and discussing our objectives.
“Since Emery’s come in, the detail that goes into everything is amazing,” he told Stephen Hendry’s Cue Tips. “He’s a really, really good manager. You can see he’s worked at the highest level. He’s so good at being consistent, gives all of us a good set-up and balance. We’ve got the aim to get into the top six. It’s all going in the right direction.”
Emery’s attention to detail has consistently been highlighted as one of his main strengths as his analysis and knowledge of the game make a significant difference in helping develop his players, while he has been adaptable and tactically superior on countless occasions in terms of getting his game-plan right and the set-up of his side.
In turn, it’s no surprise to hear Cash praise those characteristics, and it’s hoped that we can indeed now push on and continue to climb the Premier League table, while also targeting silverware as we hope to enjoy deep runs in the domestic cup competitions and in Europe.