Unai Emery: the Europa League specialist reaches a sixth final | OneFootball

Football often works in mysterious ways, and few managers embody that more than Unai Emery in the Europa League.

There is something almost impossible to explain about the connection between the Spaniard and this competition. Time and again, his teams seem to find an extra level when Thursday nights come around. Now, after guiding Aston Villa to the final, Emery is preparing for his sixth Europa League final with four different clubs.

His record in the competition is extraordinary. While spells at bigger clubs such as PSG and Arsenal never fully lived up to expectations, Emery has built a reputation as the undisputed master of the Europa League. His only league title came with PSG in 2017/18, alongside a domestic cup treble, but it is in Europe where he has truly made his name.

The signs were there early on during his time at Valencia. In his first Europa League campaign in 2008/09, Valencia were knocked out without losing a single match. The following season they suffered just one defeat in 12 games before Atlético Madrid edged them out on away goals. In 2011/12, Atlético again proved too strong in the semi-finals.

But it was at Sevilla where Emery’s legend truly grew. Between 2014 and 2016, he led the club to three consecutive Europa League titles, an achievement that cemented his place in the competition’s history.

He reached another final with Arsenal in 2019, although Chelsea comfortably beat the Gunners in Baku. Emery’s relationship with Arsenal then took another twist when, after leaving north London, he guided Villarreal past his former club en route to winning the Europa League again in 2021, beating Manchester United on penalties in the final.

Now at Aston Villa, Emery has once again worked his magic. After falling short in the Champions League over the last two seasons, Villa dropped back into the Europa League this term and immediately looked at home. Their emphatic 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals booked a showdown with Freiburg in Istanbul on 20 May.

Given Emery’s remarkable history in this competition, it is difficult to look beyond Aston Villa lifting the trophy.