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Comparison

Compare managers

Select two manager dossiers for professional tactical analysis, read against the same scale.

Prototype rating

Select manager A

🇪🇸

Narcís Pèlach

Stoke City

Spain flag Spain · 37

GafferScore 70

High PressVerticalHigh Defensive Line

High Press / Vertical

vs

Select manager B

🇪🇸

Unai Emery

Aston Villa

Spain flag Spain · 54

GafferScore 88

Tactical FlexibilityHigh Defensive LineCounter Attack

Tactical Flexibility / High Defensive Line

Tactical comparison

Comparison summary

Narcís Pèlach sets up as high press • vertical • intense from a 4-2-2-2, pressing at very high intensity behind a very high defensive line. Unai Emery is detail-led • offside trap • game management from a 4-4-2, with high press intensity and a very high line.

Key similarities

  • Line Height — both around 92
  • Counter-Press — both around 84
  • Attacking Transition — both around 81

Key differences

  • Tempo — Narcís Pèlach higher by 30
  • Formation Flexibility — Unai Emery higher by 27
  • In-Game Adaptability — Unai Emery higher by 24
  • GafferScore — Unai Emery higher by 18

Tactical similarity30%

🇪🇸

GafferScore

70/100

Narcís Pèlach

Stoke City

EFL Championship

🇪🇸

GafferScore

88/100

Unai Emery

Aston Villa

Premier League

Comparative shape

Assessment profile

AttackDefencePressingPossessionBuild-UpTransitionPlayerTactical
Narcís PèlachUnai Emery
0–100 index

Overall

70

GafferScore

88

Advantage Unai Emery

66

Current Form

80

Advantage Unai Emery

0–100 index

Tactical identity

64

Possession

82

Advantage Unai Emery

92

Tempo

62

Advantage Narcís Pèlach

62

Width

78

Advantage Unai Emery

100

Verticality

94

Advantage Narcís Pèlach

0–100 index

Build-up

68

Short Build-Up

83

Advantage Unai Emery

63

Goalkeeper Involvement

74

Advantage Unai Emery

69

Central Progression

83

Advantage Unai Emery

66

Press Resistance

82

Advantage Unai Emery

0–100 index

Attack

74

Chance Creation

84

Advantage Unai Emery

71

Final Third Structure

83

Advantage Unai Emery

67

Width

80

Advantage Unai Emery

65

Central Overloads

71

Advantage Unai Emery

0–100 index

Pressing

92

Pressing Intensity

80

Advantage Narcís Pèlach

84

Counter-Press

83

Similar

88

High Press

82

Advantage Narcís Pèlach

75

Pressing Triggers

88

Advantage Unai Emery

0–100 index

Defence

70

Defensive Organisation

88

Advantage Unai Emery

92

Line Height

92

Similar

51

Compactness

64

Advantage Unai Emery

72

Rest Defence

89

Advantage Unai Emery

0–100 index

Transitions

82

Attacking Transition

80

Similar

74

Defensive Transition

88

Advantage Unai Emery

0–100 index

Development

75

Youth Development

82

Advantage Unai Emery

73

Player Improvement

84

Advantage Unai Emery

0–100 index

Flexibility

67

Formation Flexibility

94

Advantage Unai Emery

69

In-Game Adaptability

93

Advantage Unai Emery

GafferLens index

Category assessment

74Attack84
70Defence88
81Pressing84
64Possession82
70Build-Up83
78Transition88
75Player Development82
67Tactical Flexibility94
Verified canonical record

Current Club — League

—Matches140
—Win %52.1%
Career-wide profile data

Career profile record

—Points / game1.83
—Goals / game1.86
—Conceded / game1.11
—Clean sheet %38%
4-2-2-2Current base shape4-4-2
37Age54
18 OCT 2024Appointed1 NOV 2022
2 yearsTenure3 years, 11 months
Until 30 June 2027ContractUntil Jun 2029
2 yearsYrs in senior management21 years
Stoke CityClubAston Villa
EFL ChampionshipLeaguePremier League
Projected

Head-to-head tactical matchup

Provisional

  • Press vs build-up

    Similar

    Narcís Pèlach's press (81) against Unai Emery's build-up (83) decides whether the first phase survives.

  • Build-up vs press

    Advantage: Unai Emery

    Unai Emery presses at 84; Narcís Pèlach builds at 70.

  • Attack vs defence

    Advantage: Unai Emery

    Narcís Pèlach's attacking model (74) against Unai Emery's defensive organisation (88).

  • Transition duel

    Advantage: Unai Emery

    Both sides live in the seconds after a turnover — 78 vs 88.

  • In-game flexibility

    Advantage: Unai Emery

    Who changes the game from the touchline: 67 vs 94.

Matchup lines are modelled from tactical descriptors, not from recorded fixtures between these managers.

GafferLens Pro

Advanced manager intelligence

Coming later

Advanced Tactical Style

Possession + High PressFast / Vertical + Counter AttackBuild combinations

Build-Up Style

Short Build-UpStructured Build-UpDirect ProgressionGoalkeeper InvolvementBack Three Build-Up

Pressing Profile

High PressCounter-PressMid-BlockLow BlockMan-Oriented Press

Attacking Profile

Positional AttackHigh-Tempo AttackWide OverloadsCentral OverloadsHalf-Space FocusDirect Attacking

Defensive Profile

High Defensive LineCompact BlockAggressive DefenceDeep DefenceDefensive Organisation

Player Development

Youth DevelopmentAcademy IntegrationPlayer ImprovementYoung Squad Experience

Advanced Experience

Champions League ExperienceEuropean ExperienceInternational ManagementTitle-Winning ExperienceRebuild Experience

Rating Filters

GafferScore ≥ 85Pressing ≥ 80Build-Up ≥ 80Player Development ≥ 75

Multi-Filter Search

Possession + High Press + Under 45 + Elite Experience

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Advanced Similarity

Build-UpAttackPressingDefenceTransitionsFlexibilityPlayer Development

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Season: 2026/27