Unai Emery continued his exceptional record in European competitions when Villarreal stunned Bayern Munich on Tuesday night – and his latest triumph was of particular interest to the Premier League.
Emery’s success with Villarreal is not just turning heads for Arsenal supporters, but also fans of many other clubs, who are watching ex-players from their teams producing staggering performances on the biggest stage. Villarreal have now beaten Juventus and Bayern in the knockout stages of the Champions League and will face the winner of Wednesday’s second leg between Liverpool and Benfica.
There is a distinct Premier League feel to Emery’s team. Of the starting line-up against Bayern, five had experience in the English top flight. Meanwhile, left-back Pervis Estupinan spent four years at Watford without making a single appearance for the club, and Dani Parejo spent time on loan with QPR in 2008 when they were in the Championship.
