Unai Emery has taken Aston Villa ‘to another level’ - Joe Cole and Peter Crouch on 'unbelievable pedigree'

Unai Emery has taken Aston Villa “to another level” since his appointment last season, TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole has insisted, while Peter Crouch described his pedigree in Europe as "unbelievable".

The Spaniard, who has managerial experience with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Sevilla and Villarreal listed on his CV, took over from Steven Gerrard at Villa Park last October with the club sitting 16th in the table.

In his first game in charge, he guided Villa to a convincing 3-1 win over Manchester United, kickstarting a remarkable rise to seventh in the table, securing the club European football for the first time since 2011 in the meantime.

Ahead of Villa’s match against Brighton, live on TNT Sports, Cole was full of praise for the job Emery has done at the Midlands club so far.

“You have to give this man so much credit,” he said. “I do think Steven Gerrard had a difficult spell, but he’d put a structure underneath for this club, money was spent.

“But [Emery] has come in and taken it to another level, so all credit to him.”

Villa are competing in the UEFA Conference League this season, and although Emery has never managed in the competition, he has a very impressive record in Europe.

He has won four Europa League titles, three at Sevilla and one at Villarreal, and fellow TNT Sports pundit Peter Crouch is excited to see where he can take this Villa side.

“I’m intrigued to see how they fare in Europe,” he said. “Obviously, his pedigree in Europe has been unbelievable over the years with various clubs.

“It will be interesting to see how he attacks it because sometimes the importance is in Europe, and sometimes you might not do so well in the league, so it will be interesting to see how he plays it.”

Cole added: “If we were in the dressing room and playing with him [in charge], and the manager comes in who has won the competition [Europa League] four times, every word, you would be on it, wouldn’t you?”

Although Emery has an impressive record in European competition, Crouch is aware of the toll it can have on a team trying to compete on all fronts.

“I have been involved in European campaigns when the squad is reasonably thin, you’ve just got your starting 11, really,” he explained.

“The squads are slightly bigger now, but I remember being at Stoke City and we got in the Europa League, and we did suffer a little bit in the league, travelling away in Europe and then coming back and playing Sundays.

“It does take its toll, but I believe they have got enough strength in depth these days.”

Other than Brighton and Villa, who impressed last season to qualify for the Europa League and Europa Conference League respectively, Crouch gave his opinion on who is most likely to break into those spots this campaign.

“Brentford were exactly who I was going to say,” he predicted. “I like the way Brighton and Brentford are run.

“You look at the recruitment, the way they’ve managed to sell players and then replace them on a budget.

“The scouting network and the way the club is run, and they are getting the best out of the players. They are the two, for me, that really stand out.”

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