On Boxing Day, two modern managerial rivals meet again. It might not have the same romance as Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa v Liverpool, but Unai Emery v Jurgen Klopp has turned into quite the battle in recent years. And it’s a battle the German has enjoyed the better of ever since that Europa League final in Basel.
It was May 2016, and Liverpool were in a major European final. It had been a turbulent season that began under the tenure of Brendan Rodgers and ended under Klopp. When he arrived in October he promised that Liverpool would win one Premier League title after four seasons. He kept to his promise and the Kop still sing about that first interview to this day.
The journey to that point featured several epic nights. The comeback against Borussia Dortmund in the last eight was perhaps the first sign of a return to the famous European nights of old at Anfield and Klopp clearly found a way to harness the crowd to his advantage. We saw it again against Manchester City and of course, Barcelona on Champions League nights, but that Dortmund tie was the beginning of the new era.
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After beating Villarreal, it culminated in the final against Sevilla in Basel. Klopp’s men were desperate to win on the European stage once again, but they were coming up against the undisputed kings of the Europa League. Unai Emery’s Sevilla. The Spanish giants were aiming to win their third Europa League in a row having beaten Benfica and Dnipro in the last two finals.
Daniel Sturridge put the Reds in front but Kevin Gameiro levelled things before a brace from Coke won yet another final for Sevilla. It seemed like a real blow for Liverpool at the time, but it was a sign of the progress they had made in the short time Klopp had been in charge and they would be onto bigger and better things soon after.
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From that meetings, the two managers went in separate directions, as Emery set off around Europe while Klopp made Merseyside his home. But their paths would collide again as Arsenal chose the Spaniard as the man to fill Arsene Wenger’s giant boots. It was an almost impossible job and as Liverpool kept on getting stronger, Klopp began to cast a spell over Emery.
In 2018/19 he smashed the Gunners 5-1 at Anfield while the following season, as Liverpool won the Premier League title they secured a 3-1 win and knocked Emery out of the Carabao Cup. It would be Emery’s only season in North London, as he was sacked before heading back to Spain with Villarreal.
It would prove to be a far more successful spell as he won yet another Europa League title in 2021, which saw them qualify for the Champions League the following season. Back in April, they clashed with Liverpool again, this time in the semi-finals of club football’s biggest competition.
Once again Anfield produced in the first leg as Klopp’s side won 2-0, but Villarreal almost produced a spectacular comeback of their own in the second leg, levelling the tie at 2-2 before the Reds ran away with it in the second half to secure a 5-2 win on aggregate. Since that Basel final, Klopp’s record against Emery reads P6 W4 D2.
And now they meet again, with Emery once again wearing a different badge on his puffer jacket. Aston Villa are not yet on the same level as any of his previous clubs, but that doesn’t mean his tactical acumen has diminished. In recent years, Klopp certainly has had his number, but Emery still remains the king of the Europa League.
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