7 European giants Aston Villa have outperformed since hiring Unai Emery: Bayern, Milan…

Since taking over at Aston Villa in November last year, Unai Emery has done a superb job at Villa Park as he has accumulated 84 points in 41 Premier League matches.

To put those superb numbers into context, that’s an average of 2.04 points per game while also boasting a superb win percentage of  63.4 per cent. Aston Villa now find themselves in the midst of a title battle, having recently got the better of both Manchester City and Arsenal.

We’ve taken a look at the rest of Europe and have identified seven European giants from outside the Premier League that Emery has accumulated more points than since taking the Aston Villa job in November 2022.

Napoli – 82 points

Amazingly, Emery has accumulated two more points since taking the Aston Villa job than last season’s Serie A champions have managed. There’s no denying how good Napoli were last time around as they played some beautifully fluid football to claim their first league title since 1989–90.

After Luciano Spalletti departed in the summer, the Italian champions haven’t quite been at the same level as they now find themselves sixth in the league. Since Emery’s appointment at Aston Villa in November, Napoli have accumulated 82 points in total.

Bayern Munich – 78 points

The German champions have enjoyed one of their best-ever starts to a Bundesliga season this time around, but they are still six points shy of Emery’s tally at Villa Park since he took the job.

Harry Kane has been in prolific form for Thomas Tuchel’s side and it will come as no surprise to learn that they are the top-scoring side in Europe at this stage. Although they do have some serious competition in the Bundesliga this season.

Bayer Leverkusen – 77 points

Bayer Leverkusen’s upturn in form since hiring Xabi Alonso has been similar to that of Aston Villa and Emery. Alonso took the job in October last year when the German side sat 17th in the table.

He’s since turned them into title contenders and now has his side sitting on top of the Bundesliga, having not lost any of their opening 14 league matches. In total, Alonso has accumulated 77 points since November last year, which is seven less than Emery.

Victor. 😮‍💨🇳🇬
Pala. 😮‍💨🇦🇷
Patrik. 😮‍💨🇨🇿#B04SCP | #Bayer04 #DFBPokal | @boniface_jrn #Schick #Palacios pic.twitter.com/LfHZzT2p7X

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) December 8, 2023

Borussia Dortmund – 74 points

Edin Terzic’s side came agonisingly close to the title last year. Heading into the final game of the 2022-23 season, Dortmund had their destiny in their own hands, but they could only manage a draw against Mainz 05 which saw Bayern seal the title.

The German side went on a terrific run in the second half of last season too, only losing one of their last 19 matches. However, despite going close to the title last season, they have still picked up 10 points less than Aston Villa since Emery took over.

AC Milan – 73 points

Serie A was hugely competitive last season and it was a pleasant surprise to see so many Italian sides going deep into the Champions League, too.

Having finished fourth last season and currently occupying a spot in third, Milan have taken 73 points since November last year which is 11 fewer than Aston Villa have in that same time frame.

Marseille – 72 points

The French giants managed to secure a third-place finish in Ligue 1 last season and have taken a total of 72 points since Emery took the Aston Villa job. That’s not too shabby by any means, but is still 12 points shy of Emery’s total.

For context, PSG have taken 86 points in this same time frame, which is just two more points than Aston Villa have managed.

Ajax – 65 points

This one probably won’t come as a huge surprise. Ajax have been nowhere near their best this season, although they have started to pick things up recently, having won six of their last seven matches.

The Dutch side finished third last season and they already find themselves 21 points behind league leaders PSV this time around. In total, Emery’s Aston Villa have accumulated 19 more points than Ajax since the Spanish boss took the job.

READ NEXT: The incredible Premier League table since Aston Villa appointed Unai Emery

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every player to score 10+ PL goals for Aston Villa?