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Aston Villa have 'cheat code' as Manchester United comparison made
Former Aston Villa defender Richard Dunne believes Unai Emery's experience in European competitions could be a "cheat code" for them in the Champions League this season.
Villa drew against Juventus on Wednesday night, but they are still in a strong position to go on and claim a top eight position in the league phase table, which would secure automatic qualification for the round of 16. They won their first three matches against BSC Young Boys, Bayen Munich and Bologna, before losing in bizarre circumstances against Club Brugge.
"The cheat code that they have is the manager because he's been around those levels, and he is a very skilled operator in Europe," Dunne told Gambling Zone. "Emery understands what it takes to win in European games, and he's hugely experienced in European competitions, so he's been able to guide them tactically in terms of what's expected and what's needed, and they've produced it.
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"The Bayern Munich game was a brilliant match, a brilliant occasion. The defensive performance was brilliant to watch because of the shape that they had, what they forced Bayern Munich to do. It just looked really good and that comes from a manager with experience who knows the competition, so the players need to really listen to every word he's saying because he's the one that can get them through.
"I think they've got some tough games coming up, certainly with the form they're in. They've got Monaco, Celtic, Leipzig as well. They've got some really tough games coming up and they're going to need to be back on top form to make sure they can squeeze their way through into the next round.
"The aim certainly would have been the top eight. I think that defeat in Brugge makes that more difficult, but it is still completely doable. I think that should be their ambition because they put themselves in a situation where that is achievable.
"I think they'd accept being in the playoffs, but I think they should really be thinking about pushing for that top eight, because we've seen when they're on form the performances are certainly good enough and they're well capable of being in that level."
Asked where Emery ranks among Premier League managers, Dunne said: "Emery’s very close to the top. I think tactically he's outstanding. Villa were close to the relegation zone when he took over. In that same period of time, Ten Hag came to Man United, and you look at the difference in the progression of both clubs, it's huge.
"It took us all this amount of time and we'd never seen a style of play coming out of Man United. Whereas with Villa, it's very clear and obvious what they're trying to do, what they want to do and the changes from game to game. They can go from a 4-4-2 to 3-4-3. They change it all the time, that's all down to the manager and his demands.
"The players are obviously listening to him and respect him. Emery is really close to being up at the very top of the manager pile in the Premier League. He obviously hasn't got the same resources and squad depth that Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City have, but he's still able to get up there and compete with them. He's done an amazing job, and with all that success, probably interest from other bigger clubs."
