"Most criminally underrated manager in European football" - Fans laud Unai Emery for masterminding Villarreal's 1-0 win over Bayern Munich

Football aficionados on social media have showered Villarreal manager Unai Emery with praise following his side’s commendable win over Bayern Munich. Despite being the underdogs, the Yellow Submarine dominated the proceedings in their Champions League quarter-final first leg against the Bavarians on Wednesday night, bagging an impressive 1-0 win at home.

Villarreal started the game brightly and got on the scoresheet after only eight minutes. Arnaut Danjuma latched on to Daniel Parejo’s scuffed effort, directing it into the bottom-right corner. Bayern Munich keeper Manuel Neuer had no way of stopping the ball from going into the net. Unlike many teams that prefer to sit back after scoring an early goal, Villarreal pressed on, keeping Bayern on their toes all night long.

The Spanish outfit outclassed the German heavyweights in pretty much every department at the Estadio de la Ceramica. Their passing was crispier, their intensity was higher, and they also created more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. Had they been a tad more clinical in front of goal, the Spanish team would have taken a more commanding lead to take to the Allianz Arena next week.

Following Villarreal’s tactical win, the Twitterati lauded their coach Unai Emery, hailing him as the “most criminally underrated manager in European football.” Here’s what social media had to say about the four-time Europa League-winning manager:

Last season, the former Arsenal manager guided Villarreal to the Europa League title for the first time in their history. His previous Europa League triumphs came with Sevilla for three consecutive years between 2013 and 2016.

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Unai Emery will face a stern test in Bayern Munich’s backyard next week

Unai Emery’s Villarreal did ever so well to get a 1-0 win at home against six-time Champions League winners Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, the slender lead might not do them much good in next week’s return leg. In their backyard, the Bavaniarns are almost an unstoppable force.

In the Round of 16, Bayern were held to a 1-1 draw by RB Salzburg in the first leg in Austria. The return leg saw them bag a 7-1 victory at the Allianz Arena, with four of their seven goals coming in the first half alone.

Villarreal are a considerably better-drilled side than Salzburg, but that does not ensure a draw or win against the Bundesliga holders. Emery might have to pull something extraordinary out of his hat to keep a lid on Bayern. And we most certainly cannot wait to see what he comes up with in Germany.