The Athletic reports that the difference between Villa and Arsenal is that Villa accommodated Emery’s obsession with football and built a network of relationships around him of his own choosing, all of whom he trusted implicitly, as As his close friend and director of football Vidar Ghani explains, they will handle most of the off-field matters.
Emery has a trusting relationship with owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris, evidenced by their holding company V Sports. Earlier this week, V Sports announced a partnership with Real Union. In June, Emery and his brother Igor bought a controlling stake in the Spanish club, where their father and grandfather both played, and which now sits in the region’s third tier.
Emery is keen to improve his team from a tactical perspective. He pays little attention to matters outside his own inner circle and football circles. He would work late at Arsenal’s training ground, full of ideas, designing often long training sessions. They can annoy players, especially in the days leading up to games when Emery spends two to three hours practicing formations. Emery’s connections at Arsenal are unstable and the board is in a state of flux.
Emery only wants to be the head coach, which is his advantage. Emery does not want to be directly involved in transfer negotiations. He is only interested in the results of the transaction, and he does not want to manage the daily operations of the club. Emery’s first phone call before joining Villa was to Vidagani, who initially arrived as his personal assistant so he could manage those aspects off the pitch. With the arrival of president of football operations Monchi in the summer, he and Vidagani are responsible for transfer negotiations, acting as advocates for players and agents and tying different departments together. Emery is widely believed to have had none of these personal connections at Arsenal and Villa intended to build the club around him from the start.
Amid an unstable administrative structure, divisions between Arsenal’s departments continue to widen. Sources say if Arteta had taken over directly after Wenger and tried to implement these rules it would never have worked. This means Arsenal’s support for Emery has never been solid. Almost everyone at Arsenal thinks highly of Emery, even if the sacking hurts him.
Vera does not underestimate the importance of Vidagani. There is a feeling that if Emery had Vidargani at Arsenal, he would still be the Gunners manager now. Likewise, at PSG, Vidagani could have helped manage internal relationships. When Emery was appointed head coach, Villa brought in six members of staff to form his backroom team, all of whom Emery knew or had worked with before. More Spanish speakers have since joined the group. Former sporting director John Langer left the day-to-day running of the club to assist owners with plans for a multi-club model.
After Villa’s existing model was changed to accommodate Emery, the club decided to pursue new goals, which included the hiring of Alfredo Benito (a former team-mate of Emery) in a global technical role, as well as another Scout Pablo Rodriguez, who is also Emery’s former teammate. This summer, Vidagani’s official title changed from personal assistant to director of football. Monchi, a close assistant during their time at Sevilla, drove the signing process at Emery’s behest. Emery, Vidagani and Monchi form a power triangle and are responsible for major decisions.
Emery believes Guardiola’s structure at Manchester City is the most conducive to successful management. Those close to Emery believe he is on the same level as Guardiola when it comes to evaluating the best coaches in the world, noting that the City manager, like Villa’s, has good friends on the board, Such as Manchester City managing director Soriano and football director Begiristain. “What we need to do now is let Emery make the sporting decisions, let Monchi choose the players with him and all of us provide a strong support, like a fortress, to give them time to develop the project.” “Because ultimately, the difference between success and failure is time,” Vidagani said in October.
Sources close to Villa players say Emery is not inclined to speak to members of the squad unless they are involved in matchday action. Some players who have been out injured for long periods of time have only had brief conversations with Emery. During pre-season, Emery held lengthy conversations with young players, asking about their plans and backgrounds and even what their parents did. Preseason training has been grueling, far beyond what players are used to. Among Villa’s players and staff, however, there was total acceptance, something that was not always the case at Arsenal, and certain staples of his management, including lengthy video analysis sessions, were met with a lukewarm reception. “For Gerrard, training is training,” said a Villa player who asked not to be named, “but Emery is very detailed, just like he was at Arsenal. “
Captain McGinn said: “Emery’s mentality, his desire to win, everything about him is outstanding. He is obsessed with winning, absolutely obsessed. That mentality is drilled into our heads. If we were behind, we might have been Collapse, but today we stood tall.” The benefit Villa players received from his lengthy video training was real. At Arsenal, however, people felt differently. Emery’s reputation in England has been restored and, four years on from his departure from Arsenal, his prospects have never been better. He learned the right lessons but refused to change his principles.