Jason Tindall makes Aston Villa claim that will make Newcastle United fans laugh

Emery, who was heavily linked with the Newcastle job before Eddie Howe and Tindall were appointed in November 2021, took charge of Aston Villa and led the club to a top-four finish last season.

Now in the Champions League, Villa picked up a historic 1-0 win over Bayern Munich last week and currently sit fifth in the Premier League table after seven games.

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Speaking on the Adopted Geordies Podcast, Tindall was asked who he thought was the best defensive manager in football at the moment. And the Newcastle No. 2 highlighted Emery as a prime contender.

“I say Emery has always been renowned for his defensive structure,” Tindall responded. “He's done great wherever he's been with that, done a great job at Aston Villa since he's been there.

“I'd have to put him in that category for setting up a good defensive unit.”

That response may raise a few eyebrows given Villa conceded 61 goals in 38 Premier League games last season, only one fewer than Newcastle - whose defence was publicly criticised by Howe. And to make Tindall’s response even more intriguing, Newcastle scored eight goals against Villa last season with a 5-1 win at St James’ Park and 3-1 victory at Villa Park.

No team scored more goals against Villa last season in the Premier League than Newcastle. And The Magpies only scored more goals against Sheffield United (13) during the 2023-24 campaign.

So Tindall’s comments regarding Emery and his side being a strong defensive unit certainly make for interesting reading.