Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern Munich: Brilliant Unai Emery's Villa revival reaches new heights

Emery's clever strategy also unsettled Bayern, making a more direct attack on defender Dayot Upamecano with Ollie Watkins running behind. He was also aware of Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer's habit of playing as a sweeper keeper, which directly led to Duran's goal. The trick worked perfectly.

Mention what Emery brings to the table and a Villa insider told BBC Sport: “Attention to detail. An incredible work ethic. There is no downtime for Unai. He is incredible and gets the rewards the work ethic deserves. He too is respectful of everyone in the club and very popular.”

Emery arrives at Villa's training headquarters in Bodymoor Heath at around 8am and the staff who use the gym at the center are used to the sight of the manager arriving at 8.30pm, having finished at his desk and on the exercise bike Collects details on his iPad before even taking notes while using the rowing machine.

Once the formalities of a game are completed, he turns to his laptop, sits in front of Villa's coach and immediately focuses on the next game, the next opponent.

He has brought 23 Spanish coaches to Bodymoor Heath, a sign of Villa's confidence and investment in Emery, but he has ensured they have fully integrated with the coaches already there in a calm and welcoming atmosphere. There is mutual respect at Bodymoor Heath, an environment fostered by Emery, whose English is said to be much better than some might expect.

Emery became president of football operations alongside long-time collaborator Monchi, who was with him at Sevilla, while appointing the experienced Pako Ayestaran as his right-hand man was an ideal choice.

Ayestaran was Rafael Benitez's assistant as Liverpool won the Champions League and FA Cup early on. Things have never been the same at Anfield after his departure, perhaps no coincidence as the 61-year-old is a likeable and highly-respected figure with a great knowledge of the Premier League and the game in general.

Emery, who also has the trusted Damian Vidagany at his side, has not been afraid to retain Gerrard staff, such as the outstanding set-piece coach Austin MacPhee, a workaholic in the spirit of his manager.

He recognizes and encourages quality, particularly in players who are helped by continuous and specific video analysis, with Ollie Watkins a particular beneficiary.

Emery also gets the best out of the unpredictable underdog Duran, albeit as a substitute. He needs to be handled carefully and the manager has proven himself to be adept in this area.

Since his first weekend in charge on November 5, 2022, Villa have the fifth-most wins and fifth-most home wins in the Premier League, ahead of only Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Bayern certainly know all about Emery's European expertise. They had not lost a game in the group stage since September 2017, when they lost 3-0 to Paris St. Germain. Your trainer? Unai Emery.

Emery and Villa now have six points from their opening two Champions League games against Young Boys of Switzerland and now Bayern – and under his expert guidance, few will enjoy this environment under this coach.