Unai Emery: Decoding his managerial Europa League winning campaigns
Unai Emery has a sensational record in the UEFA Europa League. The Spanish manager has won the title four times, thrice with Sevilla and once with Villarreal. He also reached the Europa League final once with Arsenal but they fell short against London rivals, Chelsea FC. No other manager has won the Europa League title more than Emery. Here's more.
Emery's first Europa League title with Sevilla in 2013-14
Emery won his maiden Europa League crown with Sevilla in the 2013-14 season. Other than the UEL title, Sevilla had a decent season with Emery in charge. They finished fifth in La Liga with 18 wins, nine draws, and 11 losses. Sevilla registered 63 points. Sevilla bowed out of the R32 of the Copa del Rey. They defeated SL Benfica in the UEL final.
Breaking down their 2013-14 Europa League season in numbers
Sevilla featured in the qualifying rounds and after beating Titograd and Slask Warclaw they reached the UEL group stages. They topped their group with three wins and three draws. Sevilla defeated Maribor, Betis, FC Porto, and Valencia before reaching the final. Sevilla defeated Benfica on penalties in the final. Kevin Gameiro was Sevilla's top scorer with 5 goals, while Carlos Bacca netted four goals.
Consecutive Europa League titles for Sevilla under Emery
Sevilla again finished fifth in the 2014-15 La Liga season under Emery. They won 23 matches, registered seven draws and suffered eight defeats. They lost the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid (2-0) at the start. Sevilla bowed out of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals after losing to Espanyol. They won the 2014-15 UEL title by defeating Ukrainian outfit FC Dnipro 3-2.
Breaking down their 2014-15 Europa League season in numbers
Sevilla finished second in Group G of the 2014-15 Europa League behind Feyenoord. They registered three wins, two draws and a defeat. They lost their only group-stage match against Feyenoord. They defeated Monchengladbach, Villarreal, Zenit and Fiorentina in the knockouts. Sevilla defeated FC Dnipro to lift the crown. Bacca was Sevilla's leading goal-scorer with seven strikes while Sergio Rico registered 45 saves.
Third consecutive Europa League title for Emery with Sevilla
Emery won his third Europa League title with Sevilla on the bounce in the 2015-16 season after getting knocked out of the UEFA Champions League group stage. They lost the Super Cup final against Barcelona at the start. Sevilla finished seventh in La Liga, registering 14 wins, and 10 draws while suffering 14 defeats. They lost the Copa del Rey against Barcelona.
Breaking down their 2015-16 Europa League season in numbers
Sevilla finished third in their 2015-16 UCL group stage and were demoted to the Europa League. They lost four out of their six matches, winning once against Monchengladbach and Juventus. Sevilla defeated Molde, FC Basel, Athletic Bilbao, and Shakhtar Donetsk to reach the final. They defeated Liverpool to lift the crown. Gameiro was Sevilla's leading goal-scorer with five goals while Vitolo registered four assists.
Villarreal won the 2020-21 Europa League was their first-ever trophy
Emery guided Villarreal to their first-ever trophy in the 2020-21 Europa League. The Yellow Submarines finished seventh in the La Liga where they won 15 wins, registered 13 draws and suffered 10 defeats. They amassed 58 points. They were defeated by Levante (1-0) in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. Villarreal defeated Manchester United in the Europa League finals on penalties.
Breaking down their 2020-21 Europa League season in numbers
Villarreal were unbeaten in the 2020-21 Europa League group stage, winning five of six matches. Their drew versus Maccabi Tel Aviv. They defeated RB Salzburg, Dynamo Kyiv, Dinamo Zagreb, and Arsenal in the knockouts. Villarreal defeated Manchester United on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Gerard Moreno was the joint-highest goal-scorer with seven goals while registering five assists. Samuel Chukweze also provided five assists.
Most Europa League/UEFA Cup titles by a manager
Emery has won four Europa League crowns, a tournament which was earlier called the UEFA Cup. With his latest UEL title with Villarreal in 2021, he surpassed Italian tactician Giovanni Trapattoni, who has won three titles. Two of his UEFA Cup titles came with Juventus in the 1976-77 and 1992-93 seasons while winning once with Inter Milan in the 1990-91 season.
