Aston Villa fought from behind to secure a 2-1 win at Tottenham on Sunday, and key to that turnaround was Unai Emery’s in-game management.
It was a frantic opening 45 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the home side enjoying the bulk of possession and in turn being able to create countless openings that made them a real threat.
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Simultaneously, Villa were nowhere near our best as although our high line was working effectively with Spurs caught out on five occasions over the 90 minutes, three of which ended with the ball in the back of the net, there was an evident lack of rhythm and control in our work in and out of possession.
Emery has consistently demanded control as a key principle in the style he’s implementing, and that wasn’t on show in the first half as we struggled to get a foothold and play at our tempo.
Burdened by his yellow card, Matty Cash’s impact waned as the half went on in his more advanced role. Although his energy and pressing was still key, it was a limited contribution.
Further, Moussa Diaby looked a threat with his pace and movement, particularly on the counter attack, but a lack of ruthlessness in his play once he had received the ball ensured we surrendered possession cheaply and often to allow Tottenham to build sustained pressure.
Pau Torres’ goal on the stroke of half-time was critical. To go into the interval level was a big moment after a half in which we were second best, and so perhaps that played a bigger part psychologically for both sides than initially appreciated.
Nevertheless, the decision from Emery to replace both Cash and Diaby at half-time and introduce Youri Tielemans and Leon Bailey in their places, was a significant moment that helped turn the tide in the game.
“We were struggling on the right side and tactically it was my correction,” he told the media in his post-match press conference, as per BirminghamLive. “I needed to make a decision to correct it.
“Offensively as well, we we weren’t attacking on the right like we were on the left. Cash was a risk on a yellow card, and the solution was Leon Bailey and Youri Tielemans, trying to get two players different. One did the passes and the other for the running. They did it.”
One of the most significant differences after the break was our ability to keep the ball for longer, play at our pace in our build-up and then quicken it up in the final third to create openings, as seen for our second goal from Ollie Watkins.
Key to that were both Tielemans and Bailey in the way that the former was composed in possession and found crucial pockets of space to link our defence to our attack and build a rhythm and direction to our play, while Bailey’s pace and ability to stretch the pitch was key in posing a different problem for the Spurs defence.
Villa captain John McGinn highlighted the pair as being integral to the outcome in his post-match interview below, praising them for their impact in the second half that effectively helped to switch the momentum.
This certainly isn’t the first time that Emery’s in-game management has been decisive, and it won’t be the last. His ability to identify and correct issues in such high-pressure and pivotal moments shows the class of his coaching, and combined with the excellent contributions from the players, it’s leading to this sustained run of form for Villa.
We’ll of course need luck along the way to keep this run going, but the adaptable game-plans coupled with the subsequent adjustments necessary to win games and our established style of play, will continue to be the foundation.
"I have quite a good record here away at Spurs" 😁
Ollie Watkins and John McGinn react to a brilliant win for Aston Villa at Tottenham! 🔊 pic.twitter.com/sJxaIw8Ihd
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 26, 2023
