Emery celebrates his 55th birthday on Tuesday by facing Barca back in his home country.
Carragher’s assertion the Spaniard would be open to leaving Villa was naive, given how much Emery controls matters at the club and the success he has had with them, even if it was not the most sensational of opinions.
He signed his most recent contract in May 2024, taking him to 2029, so Villa are protected – but there will ultimately be a new deal following the Europa League triumph.
He has taken Villa up the pecking order, but they are still not at the top of it – though they remain well placed, as the signing of Johan Manzambi from Freiburg showed.
Villa still lost players in the summer to traditionally bigger clubs: Emi Martinez, Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne, with Ollie Watkins also leaving for Saudi Arabia. But the changes have given Emery new vigour.
Nights at the Nou Camp give the Spaniard the chance to prove his worth and the progress made at Villa.
“We are constantly seeking new challenges and we want to respond in games against Barcelona to see how far we are from them,” he said.
“We won it [the European Cup] in 1982 and right now we are enjoying reminiscing with our fans, playing in this competition again, and trying to repeat that success.
“Barca are favourites because of the present and what they have done over the last 10 years, but they need to confirm their favourite role.
“The way this league stage goes, to end up finishing it in the first eight we need to avoid any kind of surprise.
“There will be times during the season when you walk your own path, but it needs to be clear the second part of the season is when things will be decided.
“Barcelona have six points, we have nine. We need to find out our personality and make the most of our qualities.”
Emery was handed carte blanche to change Villa when he was appointed as Steven Gerrard’s successor, and he has transformed them from Premier League strugglers to Europa League winners and Champions League challengers.
His methods are intense – players can have several long meetings during the week and can take months to adapt to his demands.
For instance, internally, there is an acceptance it is why Aaron Wan-Bissaka has struggled so far this season, having not had the same level of coaching at West Ham.
The exhaustive nature of his character played a part in former president of football operations Monchi leaving last year, with Emery’s close confidante needing a break.
But that meticulousness is also what makes Emery and his teams so effective.
Barcelona sources fear Villa and Emery, citing the struggles of Alejandro Balde and Joao Cancelo’s lack of defensive instinct at how Villa can exploit them, given Emery’s capacity to plan and pounce on an opponent’s weakness.
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