See weakness, exploit weakness. Unai Emery is a master at it, with Nuno Espírito Santo the latest top-flight manager to be outmanoeuvred. Aside from Aston Villa’s stutter in the middle, this was a glistening example of precisely what Emery has made a career of: homing in on, and taking advantage of, opposition shortcomings.
Sometimes modern football feels accessible only to PhD-holders, a myriad of spreadsheets and shifting shapes. Yet there also remains a beautiful simplicity to the game. Here, Villa merely exploited a mismatch that stood out like a lemon in a punnet of blueberries when the teams were released: Leon Bailey, Villa’s full-back tormenter, against an out-of-position Moussa Niakhaté. It looked like a disaster-in-waiting, and appearances were not deceptive. Not that Niakhaté was alone in his defensive incompetence.
