This is the first of the series “THE UNDERRATED”.
Unai Emery was viewed as a mid-coach by many, but he has proven his class to the whole world. Yes, they did not qualify for the Champions League Finals, but he (Unai Emery) carried a small underrated Villarreal to the Champions League Semi Finals, knocking out Europe’s top clubs. This was something that has never been done in the history of the club.
Villarreal which was regarded as a small club in Spain, has shocked the world with their performance in two of Europe’s big competitions, thanks to the work of Unai Emery, who has built a very strong and well blended team.
They showed an out standing performance in the 2020/2021 Europa League Cup, knocking out the likes of Arsenal and other big clubs. They proceeded to the Europa League Final where they beat Manchester United in a penalty shootout to win the cup for the first time in the history of the club. They had a outstanding game records of:
Ø 15 games played
Ø 12 games won
Ø 3 games drawn
Ø 0 game lose
These records show how much work Unai Emery has done and is still doing in Villarreal CF.
Then they went up to the biggest stage in club football, which is known as the Champions League. They had a remarkable group stage performance with;
Ø 6 games played
Ø 3 games won
Ø 1 game drawn
Ø 2 games lose
Ø 2nd in final group stage position
They proceeded to the round of 16 (knockout stages), where They knocked out Italy’s giant and one of Europe’s biggest team, The Old Lady, Juventus. Juventus were knocked out by Villarreal with a aggregate score of, Juventus 1 – 4 Villarreal. This big win made them qualify for their 2nd ever Champions League Quarter Finals since they were knocked out in 2009 by Unais former club Arsenal.
Unais Villarreal proceeded to shock the whole football world by knocking out Bayern Munich, which is presently regarded as the best club in the world, with an aggregate score of Bayern 1 – 2 Villarreal. This win was a huge shock to many fans of football, because Bayern was a team with top players and they had a record of humiliating other teams with ridiculous score lines, Barcelona fans knows what I’m talking about🙄🤣. Villareal had no chance coming into that game but they proved their doubters wrong, and yeah, I was one of them.
Unai Emery led Villarreal into the Champions League semifinals, and this was something that had never been done in the club’s history. It was a huge surprise to the world of football.
They played Liverpool in the semifinal of the Champions League. The first leg which was played in Anfield Stadium, England, ended in a 2 : 0 defeat to Villarreal CF. The second leg which was played in the Estadio de la Ceramica, Spain, was a very entertaining game of football. Villarreal displayed an excellent early performance, which gave them a comfortable 2 – 0 lead over Liverpool, leveling the aggregate score to 2 – 2, but Liverpool soon put the fairy tale to a stop, winning the game by, Villarreal 2 – 3 Liverpool, destroying Villareal’s Champions League finals dream.
Unai Emery has proven himself to be a world class coach, he has turned Villarreal CF into a very strong and blended team, and a well-respected team across the world.
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