Unai Emery, the Premier League's best coach New York Times (Online) Jacob Tanswell Four. Four years in charge, to the exact day. A fourth straight home league win against Manchester City. This 2-1 victory perfectly encapsulated Unai Emery's four-year tenure in charge of Aston Villa. It was evocative. It was emotional. It was Emery's Villa at its most enthralling, delivering another display that supporters will fondly recall. Fans will realise they are each living in the glory days. Emery has religiously pushed back on the notion that playing against the Premier League's biggest teams fuels him more than others. Every match presents the same option of three points, he says most weeks, repeatedly and mechanically. But on Friday, the day before City's visit, Emery changed his approach. He acknowledged that City or Arsenal, or whoever the toughest team is at the time, stoke the fire more than usual. “We dream sometimes about being close to them (Man City and Arsenal),” he said. “Two years ago, until December, we were competing closely. Last year, we were competing closely.” Competing against those opponents, alongside playing in Europe, is what truly beguiles him. They present the opportunity to pit himself tactically against the elite, to construct specialised game plans which lean into his coaching fundamentals. They call for smart, nuanced tweaks, designed from hours upon hours of analysis. Emery is, above all, a coaching strategist. Emery is also now the best, most accomplished manager in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola's spectre still looms large on Emery, who, before the match, reasserted that Guardiola is the best coach he has ever seen. But with Guardiola gone, no manager has a better pedigree. Emery is a five-time Europa League winner, the most recent coming at Villa. This season is his 17th consecutive campaign participating in Europe. His fourth anniversary at Villa means he will soon cross into uncharted territory. The Spaniard has never spent more than five years at a club across more than two decades in coaching. Here in the Midlands, Emery is considered a deity. His coaching expertise has provided longevity and trust — two qualities necessary to lead a side through a changing of eras. Emery ushered in Villa's reboot this summer and, on the evidence so far, is sculpting a vibrant squad. Emery has been reinvigorated over the summer, maintaining his high standards and, perhaps in six months' time, as he declared on Friday, he can say this new team is better than his previous. Fresh stimulus is key to the manager and long-standing players feeling energised, able to continue sitting through the long meetings, the gruelling pre-seasons and, as Emery admitted, working “for 24 hours on my birthday”. “Unai Emery is brilliant, having him stay is the main priority for us,” Matty Cash told TNT Sports afterwards. People with knowledge of the situation, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, say Emery, along with multiple Villa staff, have taken immense satisfaction from the summer, despite the swell of change. Smart recruitment is being guided by a manager who fits signings into a distinct tactical framework, blending meticulously drilled coaching patterns and responsibilities with a latitude for flair and freedom on the pitch, notably in the attacking positions. Nicolas Jackson's match-winning goal crystallised Villa 2.0, ripping City on transition, which underlined that the key areas staff felt needed addressing over the summer — pace, youth and power — have been covered. In Jackson, Villa have an ever-improving finisher, with his qualities emboldened by other arrivals, Ibrahim Mbaye, who provided the assist, and Johan Manzambi. At the opposite end, Villa have Zion Suzuki , who continued his supreme form. Such promise was why Villa and supporters remained so optimistic, in defiance of a patchy start to the season. Emery is a coach, pure and simple. He constructed a plan which saw Villa start fast — switching ends and attacking the Holte End in the first half was evidence — with Jackson scoring his first after six minutes. Villa had 92 per cent of early possession. When City wrestled control after the break, he introduced Mbaye, who set up Jackson for his second with his first touches. When City had to find another equaliser, Emery organised his players into a compact mid-block, bringing on Brian Madjo to provide a presence and drag team-mates upfield. It was another example of coaching lifting the sum of his team's parts. At his core, Emery is someone who will maximise players' talents if they are willing to give themselves to him. Watch him on the sidelines at Villa Park, and he is compelling. He gestures furiously, constantly articulating, pointing, screaming and weaving pre-rehearsed patterns in real time. “This year we started so poor. We needed time to understand how we needed to improve or how to work in our structure,” said Emery post-match. “Today was a very good test, and we responded. The players showed our capacity to recover the level of the last years.” Emery and Villa are perfect for one another. He does not need to get lost in the politics and power struggles as he did elsewhere — he has learned what network he needs around him to be effective . The Spaniard is highly regarded at Manchester United, but an obvious sticking point would be granting him the same level of autonomy he has at Villa . Because, truthfully, Emery is the power at Villa. There is a widespread feeling, internally and among other football figures in the industry who spoke under the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, that Emery's coaching props up Villa. Without him, Villa's imperfections would be magnified and, in turn, would revert to the mid-table, aspirational outfit they were. There is a reason why the club have long pined for Emery to create a dynasty, beyond his existing terms — which run until 2029. He is the best coach Villa could possibly wish for, and with Guardiola out of the picture, the best in the Premier League.