In post-match interviews, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery almost always comes across as polite, calm and cautious… but that’s not always the case on the touchline.
Trailing 2-0 after 30 minutes against Brighton on Wednesday, the Spaniard was seething and seemed so furious with his team’s performance that he could barely deliver a half-time team speech.
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“I know he’s been shouting,” striker Ollie Watkins told BBC Match of the Day. “I can’t hear him [on the pitch] But his voice has largely disappeared. “
But there’s a reason Emery is active on the fringes of the pitch. It was partly responsible for Villa turning their season around and will no doubt play its part in winning 4-3 from 2-0 down at Brighton to move up to third in the Premier League.
“He’s very passionate and that’s why we do so well because he’s very demanding,” Watkins added.
“Now we’re doing well and he’s making us work harder and he’s demanding more. I don’t speak highly of him.”
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After five games this season, Villa are in the relegation zone.
They are in the Champions League places after just nine games and face Arsenal on Saturday knowing a win would close the gap on the league leaders to three points.
‘He didn’t panic’ – Emery recovers from difficult start
Emery’s greatest strength seems to be finding solutions to problems.
They failed to score a goal in their first four games of the season, leading some to wonder whether Emery had really done all he could to get Villa going, but they have failed to score just once in the next 16 games.
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It has been suggested recently that they rely too much on goals from outside the box, but all four of their goals against Brighton came from within 18 yards.
Emery told Amadou Onana during training this week that he doesn’t score enough goals with his head. What was Aston Villa’s third goal against Brighton? Onana scored with a header.
“Yesterday in training the manager put a little pressure on me,” the midfielder told Sky Sports.
“He thought I could score more goals with my head, so I kept telling them to use my head more and I’d score goals, and that’s what I did tonight.”
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Villa’s ability to change and adapt has helped them become the best team in the Premier League over the past 10 games, winning eight games and taking 25 points.
Wednesday’s win was Emery’s 62nd in the Premier League as Villa manager, the most in the club’s history.
“We started the game and reacted more like this season,” Emery said.
]”The guys responded and continued to execute our game plan and never gave up. We kept our mentality and our toughness, which was really good.”
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes the key to Villa’s turnaround is Unai Emery’s ability to stay calm under pressure.
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“He’s a great coach who always gets the best out of his players,” Murphy told BBC Match of the Day.
“He didn’t panic at the start of the season. It was great coaching and management and the players responded.”
‘He’s smiling again’ – Watkins overcomes ‘tricky’ period
Perhaps even more gratifying for Villa fans than the comeback is the fact that Watkins has once again found his form in front of goal.
The striker scored 16 goals in the Premier League last season but had only scored one this season before Wednesday night.
But Emery gave the striker a starting chance at Brighton, and a superb first-half performance ensured Villa came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 and gave them the platform to press on and win.
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“Scoring goals is the best feeling and that’s what I do,” Watkins said.
“It’s been a while since I’ve felt this way. It’s a tricky time in my career.
“I haven’t been in a situation like this since the manager came in, but I’ve been working hard and you get rewarded.”
Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given told BBC Match of the Day: “He never gave up, he kept going and kept working towards his goals.
“He’s got that smile back on his face. It’s going to be a huge boost for him to be back.”
Emery was full of praise for Watkins’ performance in Brighton’s comeback but, in keeping with his demanding nature, is keen to ensure his forward does not let up now.
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“Keep going,” Emery said.
“Of course he needs these goals, he needs to calm down and he needs to keep going.”