During the summer, it was largely expected, among Aston Villa supporters, that Emi Buendía would leave the club. Although Villa did entertain offers, one thing remained certain, Buendía himself wanted to stay and fight for his place in the team. Now after eight games in, and with three goals and an assist in his last four, the Argentinian has done just that.
When Villa began the season woefully, Buendía was a small glimmer of light, always giving his all and making an impact whilst others struggled. His tenacity when pressing and his eagerness to get on the ball, gives the rest of the team an extra boost. When you see a teammate running around, working tirelessly to win the ball back, it makes everyone else feel the need to do the same. It's what Villa lacked early on in the campaign, but now they are full of confidence and stringing together some good performances, with Buendía playing a huge part in their success.
Tactical Understanding
Unai Emery's instructions to Buendía are simple - pick the pockets and press high. Villa heavily rely on one of the defensive midfielders or centre-backs to play a pass into one of the No 10s, in Buendía or Rogers, and break the line in behind the opposition midfield.
In this image we can see Buendía dropping into the pocket behind Everton's midfield with space to receive the ball and also allowing Digne space to run in behind. This leaves Ndiaye in a dilemma, unsure whether to push onto Buendía, or track Digne making the run.
In the Feyenoord game, again we see Buendía break away from his marker in the pocket behind their midfield, this time allowing Rogers even more space. Buendía can receive the ball from Kamara and play it into Rogers, enabling Villa to drive forward.
Positioning when Villa are out of possession is key in Emery's tactical setup. Buendía is a player that Emery trusts because he understands what is expected of him in transition, in possession and out of possession. Emery has openly praised him, stating that, "Buendía is a player who knows how we were building the team and how we want to play in the same structure we created."
Being someone that Emery can turn to when Villa need some energy in matches or more creativity has proved to be of great value so far this season. Keeping ahead of Harvey Elliott in the pecking order is no easy thing, but as long as Buendía keeps taking his chances and making a real impact, then it's his place to keep.
Time At Villa
Buendía joined the club in June 2021 from Norwich City for around £38 million. In his first two seasons, he scored nine goals and nine assists in the Premier League, regularly starting games. Even when Emery joined the club in November 2022, he was being utilised effectively. But it was in pre-season of the 23/24 campaign, where an ACL injury completely derailed his progress and caused him to miss the entire season.
As Villa evolved and improved astronomically under Emery, when Buendía returned to the squad, his place was lost as new players joined. He was mainly deployed as a substitute during the first half of last season, before heading out on loan to Bayer Leverkusen for the rest of the campaign. Despite reportedly having an option to buy in the deal, Leverkusen opted against triggering it and he returned to Villa. Many would have thought his time in the Midlands would have come to an end, with Emery seeing other players as better options than the 28-year-old.
However, he fought his way back and impressed Emery in pre-season and whilst his future was still uncertain until the last day of the transfer window, it seemed Emery had decided that he could be a useful player. That has proved to be the case so far in the games Villa have played and he is taking every opportunity in his stride. For a player that gives his all for the club, it is so great to see his hard work paying off and becoming an exciting and enjoyable player to watch.
Emi Buendía has now scored three goals across his last four games for Aston Villa, as many as his previous 44 matches combined.
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 19, 2025
His game by numbers:
11/11 passes completed
4 duels won
3x possession won
2 tackles
1 shot
1 goal
The match winner off the bench. 👏 pic.twitter.com/jCk5igviZL
