'The guy is a genius' – Emery helps Aston Villa's dreams come true

After a 41-year absence from Europe’s apical nine competition, Aston Villa are backmost successful nan large clip – and successful immoderate style.

On an evening erstwhile Villa supporters paid tribute to precocious nine fable Gary Shaw, Unai Emery's squad delivered a capacity nan erstwhile striker and his chap 1982 European Cup winners would person been proud of to defeat Swiss champions Young Boys 3-0 successful Bern.

Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey and Amadou Onana sewage nan goals connected a comfortable nighttime for nan visitors, who would person won by a greater separator had Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran not had efforts disallowed by nan video adjunct referee (VAR).

The consequence marks nan latest milestone successful Villa's singular translator nether Emery, who has now triumphed successful 89 European matches since 2009-10 - much than immoderate different head isolated from Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.

"He's an absolute genius," erstwhile Villa defender Stephen Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live. "When you spell into nan Champions League, you request a head who is adaptable and understands tactics, and knows really to alteration things very, very quickly.

"It's worked retired truthful good for him and for Aston Villa. He's magnificent."

Villa took a while to acclimatise to nan Stadion Wankdorf’s artificial aboveground but ne'er looked backmost erstwhile Tielemans had put them ahead, and tin now look guardant to welcoming German giants Bayern Munich to Villa Park adjacent period successful a repetition of their victorious 1982 final.

Emery, who led Villa to nan Europa Conference League semi-finals past season, was speedy to dedicate Tuesday's triumph to Shaw, who died connected Monday from injuries sustained successful a dense fall.

"We [continued in] nan Champions convention nan measurement they vanished 42 years ago," he told TNT Sports. "This triumph is for Gary Shaw and his family."

"It was a difficult game. Our experiences past twelvemonth [in nan Europa Conference League] showed america that. We focused very good for 90 minutes to beryllium consistent. We were adapting to nan transportation and ever respected [our opponents]."

It has taken Emery little than 2 years to guide Villa from 16th spot successful nan Premier League to nan Champions League's new-look convention shape – a translator fewer believed imaginable erstwhile nan Spaniard replaced Steven Gerrard successful November 2022.

"This has been my dream for a long, agelong time," said Villa instrumentality Paul, who travelled to Bern pinch chap supporters Tony and Scott to watch their broadside make a long-awaited return to Europe's biggest stage. "We really came without tickets. [We've] had a spot of a party."

Tony, meanwhile, is assured Emery's squad tin declare a spot successful nan past 16 of nan competition, which gets nether measurement successful March adjacent year.

"If you tin get 10 aliases 11 points from your games, you've sewage a bully chance of progressing," he said. "Villa are growing. We're backmost wherever we should be."

A cursory glimpse astatine Emery's singular continental grounds suggests Villa fans' optimism is acold from misplaced.

Only 3 managers – Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Giovanni Trapattoni – person won much European trophies than Emery, who has taken complaint of much awesome European nine title matches - 163 - than immoderate different coach.

His 4 trophies each came successful nan Europa League but Emery has now managed six different clubs successful nan Champions League, becoming conscionable nan sixth coach to do truthful aft Mourinho, Ancelotti, Ronald Koeman, Claudio Ranieri and Rafael Benitez.

He reached nan semi-finals pinch Villarreal successful 2021-22, giving Liverpool a awesome scare successful an eventual 5-2 aggregate defeat.

His Premier League grounds successful complaint of Villa is nary little impressive, pinch only Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool collecting much points than nan Villans' 126 since Emery's appointment.

"This head has proved clip and clip again that he has nan know-how to return nan nine far," erstwhile England defender Rio Ferdinand told TNT Sports.

"He is instilling precocious standards and is success-driven – and he has won trophies throughout.

"There is simply a genuine belief astatine this nine that they will return immoderate scalps."

Football clubs are each astir history - a club’s history is 1 of nan main reasons why their fans attraction truthful overmuch astir it. Villa’s history weighs heavier than most. Specifically, for modern Villa players, location is 1982, an accomplishment that fills their supporters pinch pride, but sets a mighty yardstick by which their successors are matched.

Equalling that really would beryllium thing extraordinary, but nan truth that Villa person returned to this level sets nan existent cohort of players - and of people their head - isolated from each nan others who person followed nan European Cup winners. The competition, aft all, has changed since past successful almost each respect, up to and including its name. Being backmost successful Europe astatine each past twelvemonth was a pleasant astonishment astatine nan time, and it meant a batch to fans. It matters to beryllium successful Europe, and being successful nan bigger title now matters more.

But it’s not capable for everyone. Witness Emery, pinch his squad starring 3-0 and evidently successful full command, flapping and fussing complete mini specifications successful nan last minutes. Just being present will not do for him, and nan demands he makes of his players and by hold his nine punctual everyone who deals pinch him of that, each day. Listening to nan players speak, that emotion is intelligibly infectious.

How acold that power tin transportation them successful nan Champions League is difficult to gauge successful Bern tonight, but aft nan adjacent game, against Bayern Munich successful 2 weeks’ time, we’ll cognize more.