Only 50,000 inhabitants, no budget of a big club and basically just a tile empire as an economic cutout in the city: The FC Villarreal is a small club \ – and mixes among the best eight Champions League teams this season. What is that? First of all at the coach.
This coach, which means a full name Unai Emery Etxegoien, is not a man for the royal class. The football teacher born in 1971 in the Basque Country in the small town of Hondarribia feels particularly in the Europa League. He never secreted that: “I have always said that I love the Europa League.”
His successes give him right. For 14 years – and without any interruption – the coach is austerity guest in international business, currently with Villarreal Ameting winner of the Europa League. But not only that: Overall, the coach comes to four titles in this competition, three of them between 2014 and 2016 with the FC Seville. The emery originating from a complete football family may be failed at large clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain (2016-2018) or Arsenal (2018-2019) on the oversized claims that he is a great and successful coach, there is no doubt.
Lewandowski? Coman? EMERY does not go crazy
The “smaller rail”, in this case just the Europa League, she is always dressed on the waiting for a neat black haired man. And a club like Villarreal fits like the fist on the eye. With him, the EMERY-dedicated EMERY has conceded the EL title – in Gdansk on May 26, 2021 with a furious 11:10 in a penalty shooting against Favorit Manchester United.
“Villarreal is something special,” says Emery in conversation with the UEFA. “This is a constant project with a certain financial power that offers stability and longevity. Prior to my arrival, the team played in the semi-finals of the Champions League, the Europa League and the Copa del Rey, besides, it was in Spain vacancister behind Real Madrid (2007 / 08; ANM. D. Red.). However, it has never been enough for a trophy. ” With him that has changed. The 36-year-old Raul Albiol (formerly Real and Napoli) has said to Emery in this regard: “Trainer, you won the Europa League. Show us this path.”
Said and done.
But for the moment his stealing horse, the Europa League, Passé is.
Finally, the “yellow submarine” is as an imparting title carrier and thus as a Champions League starter initially also slightly under the radar not only immersed to the secondary finals (Atalanta Bergamo and Bern left behind) – the team around Gerard Moreno, Arnaut Danjuma, Yeremy, Manu Trigueros or Routinier Raul Albiol has recently met Favorite Juventus in the second round of the round. Especially the 3-0 in Turin in the second leg has impressed.
Juventus Turin was favorite against us…
Unai Emery believes in the progress against Bavaria
So suddenly even the first CL semifinals has been possible since 2005/06 (back against Arsenal) – and coach Emery is ready for it. He has “always said that I love the Europa League, but I dream of winning the Champions League – especially now, where we are in the quarterfinals”. Fear of the current opponent from Munich, the coach did not – especially since dreaming despite the competitors in the competition is never banned. The tactic EMERY looks easy: “Juventus Turin was favorite against us, Bayern it is much more.”
EMERY simply wants to help his team as a quiet orchestral director at the sideline – and because of stars on the other side do not worry about: “I will certainly not look at the score of Robert Lewandowski, even no video with the individual skills of a Coman, The only chance of how we can pack Bayern is with a tactically skilled collective effort. ” If the sensation succeeds in the first leg on Wednesday evening (21 pm, live! At Emery), this would be for EMERY in the 101th compulsory game as Villarreal-Coach (49 victories, 28 draws, 23 defeats) not only a renewed coup – it would be one New spell.