Aston Villa destroy Forest as genius Unai Emery takes Dean Smith’s team to Europa League final | OneFootball

The scale of the unbelievable job Unai Emery has done as Aston Villa manager was highlighted by Ollie Watkins this week.

“The team is pretty much the same as when Dean Smith was here, apart from a few good additions,” Watkins said.

Seven of the starting XI on Thursday were indeed part of Smith’s squad at the start of the 2021/22 season. He was sacked with Villa in 16th place on ten points after 11 games. His replacement Steve Gerrard was sacked 11 games into the following season with Villa on nine points in 17th.

Since then, with a net spend of under £50m, Emery has taken Villa back into Europe, then the Champions League and now has them on the cusp of ending their 30-year trophy drought after his flawless tactics set his brilliant team up to dismantle Nottingham Forest.

Opposite number Vitor Pereira has been at least as impressive since taking over at Forest, albeit on a far smaller scale. He had won eight of his 16 games in charge coming into this game, including all of the last five, and hadn’t lost since a 1-0 defeat to Midtjylland in mid-March.

He’s taken them well clear of the relegation zone and was two games away from rewarding owner Evangelos Marinakis for sacking three managers this season with Champions League football next season.

“He’s not our goalkeeper,” Emery told the TNT Sports reporter when asked about Victor Lindelof’s rumoured start in midfield, in a surprise selection ahead of Lamare Bogarde following Amadou Onana’s injury in the first leg.

In packing the midfield with Lindelof behind John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia, and Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins playing narrowly ahead of them, Villa dominated the ball. Elliot Anderson and Nicolas Dominguez were swarmed at the base of Forest’s midfield, with Igor Jesus and Chris Wood isolated in attack.

James McAtee delivered a lovely cross-field pass for Omari Hutchinson early on as the former Chelsea and Ipswich star curled a shot just wide of the far post, but that was the extent of the danger Forest posed in a first-half to leave onlookers in little doubt as to which manager was winning the tactical battle.

The frustration for Emery will have been that his side hadn’t taken the lead in the tie after they drew level thanks to some stunning footwork from Buendia.

Watkins was very nearly played in by Emiliano Martinez but Villa kept the attack alive after Nikola Milenkovic cut it out the long ball. Post-match recriminations may feature questions as to why neither Elliot Anderson nor Jair Cunha attempted to tackle Buendia, but three quick foot-to-foot touches saw the Argentinian squeeze through the middle of them before his cleverly delayed cross found Watkins for a tap in.

Ryan Yates came on in place of McAtee at the break to add some midfield steel, but a couple of tough tackles from the club captain failed to turn the tide and Villa’s progression to the final felt inevitable after Milenkovic tugged Pau Torres’ shirt in the box and Buendia converted the resulting penalty.

There may never have been a greater disparity in performance level in the history of football than Villa vs Tottenham and this display. The same fans that booed their shameful team off on Sunday were roaring in delight at a near impeccable showing both on and off the ball.

Forest had no answer to the power and close-knit link-up play between Rogers and Watkins, Buendia’s work between the lines, McGinn’s midfield barreling or Tielemans dictating the game behind them. Forest possession was treated with disdain by a Villa team which worked quickly and tirelessly to win the ball back immediately.

“They knew what they had to do and they did it” was the basic but perfect summary from Stiliyan Petrov after the game.

The Forest defence was conspicuous in its absence as decibel levels reached implausible heights at Villa Park when McGinn swept into one corner to seal a comprehensive victory and then the other to rub salt in now weeping Forest wounds.

Forest didn’t turn up but then they weren’t really allowed to by a Villa team playing at their absolute peak under an extraordinary motivator and tactician that the club must cling on to for dear life after turning two-thirds of a Dean Smith team into Europa League finalists. The man is an absolute genius.