Unai Emery is the second-longest-serving manager in the Premier League. This will be his fourth full campaign with Aston Villa. It follows his most successful one last year, ending magnificently with Europa League silverware.

This season feels different. Questions no longer centre on marking this era with a trophy, but on how much juice is left to squeeze. Villa are undergoing a transitional phase. They will aim to maintain — or improve — standards. It will be a taxing task, yet challenges this steep come only from a sustained period of excellence.

The Athletic takes you through what to expect in the upcoming 2026-27 campaign…

What are the expectations inside the club?

Emery repeatedly asserts that there are “six or seven contenders more (equipped) than us”, which is probably true considering the better-established reputations of others. However, few teams have shown such consistency since his arrival in October 2022. Emery’s objective will always be the Premier League and achieving Champions League qualification. Even with the changes this summer, that is what he will set out to do.

Who have they signed?

As was widely anticipated leading into the window, Villa have had to sell to buy and therefore had to replace. Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers have left, with Joao Gomes signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Johan Manzambi, in a club-record agreement, coming in from Freiburg. Alejandro Garnacho moved in the opposite direction to Rogers, joining from Chelsea, while Matteo Ruggeri from Atletico Madrid will replace the outgoing Lucas Digne at left-back. Villa similarly moved quickly to secure Zion Suzuki, sanctioning Emiliano Martinez’s departure.

The Athletic revealed on Monday evening that Villa were closing on an agreement with Aaron Wan-Bissaka from West Ham United. The deal is an option, although it has scope to become an obligation dependent on certain conditions.

Joao Gomes has settled in quickly at Aston Villa (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

What is their transfer priority before the window closes?

There are several positions Villa are still looking to fill. This includes the right-back slot, another central midfielder, another wide player and an attacking midfielder. This, as is the way with the Villans, can swiftly change depending on Emery’s rationale and whether or not certain players leave. For example, if one centre-forward departs, Villa would want a replacement. The same is true in central defence.

What else is new?

Emery’s backroom staff has required surgery. His assistant Pako Ayestaran departed, while Rodri, Villa’s individual development coach, had decided he was joining Cesc Fabregas at Serie A side Como before the end of last season. Jaime Arias Galan, a technical assistant, also wished to explore a new opportunity overseas. By this stage, Villa had already lost two physios and its head of medical services, Arnaldo Abrantes, to Arsenal.

The highest-profile exit was set-piece coach Austin MacPhee. He informed Villa’s senior figures that he wished to leave on July 23 and ended up joining Chelsea. Villa have replaced Ayestaran with Chema Sanz from Osasuna. Alberto Carbo will step up to take Rodri’s place and the club are in talks with Burnley for their set-piece coach, Pal Fjelde.

What’s the biggest lesson they learned last season?

That despite tumult and prolonged periods of poor form – having endured a terrible start and with the end of their league campaign similarly tailing off – Villa can find a way to win. Emery knows that his side are robust when battling adversity yet need to find a way to rectify blind spots in their game, such as the tendency to drift through certain matches and against specific tactical challenges. This summer’s squad renewal might help provide some much-needed freshness.

Who’s been the best player in pre-season?

Joao Gomes has started life superbly at Villa. Emery has tended to refine his central midfielders and, after signing from Wolves for a fee in the region of £35million ($47m), the Brazil international appears to be the next in line. Intense, aggressive and sharper with his metronomic quality, the 25-year-old has adapted quickly in pre-season, dominating central areas and scoring goals. Without Amadou Onana, who will be on the injury list for the foreseeable future after he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while playing for Belgium at the World Cup, he should form a strong axis alongside Boubacar Kamara.

What are they worried about?

Can Villa go again after the heady heights of last season? The pressure to win silverware might be off, but this summer is when Villa are entering into more unknowns than ever before under Emery. Not only do they have new players and new staff, but they will also once again be faced with their manager’s perennial demand for improvement.

How’s the manager feeling?

Emery was aware there would be challenges over the summer, leading to player departures. Yet there is a sense, publicly anyway, that a change in the squad could offer a fresh stimulus for the players who remain. And Emery himself. Approaching four years in the hot seat at Villa, he has only Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta ahead of him for time served in their current role among Premier League managers.

“I feel like the club is in a new era, with this possibility to fight for trophies,” Emery told UEFA last month. “Winning the Champions League is something I dream of. I see teams that have come close to a level similar to ours over the years – three years ago, Borussia Dortmund reached the final; Villarreal reached the semi-finals against Liverpool and came close to reaching the final.

“So, at Aston Villa, we’ll also try to be a competitive team, a team that is renowned, that’s closer to winning than losing, and that’s back in contention or capable of competing with the best teams to win titles.”

What’s the percentage chance of Emery seeing out the season?

Nothing in life is guaranteed, but as near a 100 per cent certainty as there can be among Premier League managers.

I wouldn’t be surprised if…

Villa evolve tactically. Changing in-possession structure, particularly the speed of how they attack and the positioning of players out wide. The profile of those recruited this window and those they hope to recruit suggests subtle changes may arise. The Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain showed greater intensity and ability to stretch their opponents vertically, aided by a younger, renewed squad.

What is their strongest XI?

Suzuki; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Kamara; McGinn, Manzambi, Buendia; Watkins

With the Premier League getting underway later this week, The Athletic is tactically profiling the three promoted sides. We started with Coventry City, who will be easy on the eye under Frank Lampard — now it’s Ipswich Town, who have undergone considerable change since promotion. 

It has been a bittersweet summer for supporters of Ipswich.

At the start of May, they sealed their return to the Premier League, bouncing straight back into the English top flight via a hard-earned second-placed finish in the Championship.

But just over a month later, the manager who made it all possible stepped away. Kieran McKenna announced his departure after almost five transformational years in charge.

It leaves uncertainty swirling and enormous shoes for new boss Gary O’Neil to fill. But following an ambitious transfer window, spending just over £109million on 12 permanent signings they look prepared for the physical challenge of the Premier League.

Ipswich were strong in all phases of play under McKenna last season. They controlled possession and kept pressure on their opposition in most of their games — only Middlesbrough recorded a higher average field tilt throughout the season, a metric that measures possession in the attacking third to give an indication of territorial control.

They also pressed aggressively and moved forward quickly when they had the chance. Ipswich allowed their opponents an average of 19.1 seconds on the ball per possession sequence, the least amount of time in the Championship, while only Watford and Coventry could beat their rate of 3.2 direct attacks per game.

Such defensive tenacity and an ability to attack at speed should help them to stay in games and roll with the punches even as the quality of their opposition increases.

The last time they were promoted, for the 2024-2025 season, Ipswich’s possession numbers dropped by more than 12 per cent, while they conceded goals at almost double the rate.

Their investment in the transfer market points to an acceptance that they will have to dig in this season, looking to add more physicality, pace and ball-carrying ability to a team that presses hard and counters quickly.

Joining Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene on the flanks, big-money signing Abdul Fatawu attempted 7.6 take-ons per 90 minutes in the Championship for Leicester City last season, the second-highest rate in the division. The 22-year-old has bags of pace, and is capable of spectacular individual moments.

On the opposite side, Daizen Maeda, 28, scored 14 league goals for Celtic as they won a fifth consecutive league title. He’s a hard-working winger who can bundle his way forward with the ball.

Enciso, who was on loan at Portman Road in 2025, is similarly adept at dragging his team up the pitch and leading the line with energy and personality, as he did for Paraguay at the World Cup. No player created more chances or attempted more shots for Strasbourg while O’Neil was in charge.

But most intriguing is record signing of Emersonn. The 22-year-old is still raw, having scored only twice in two seasons for Goztepe in Turkey before his breakout move to Toulouse. He brings athleticism to the centre-forward position.

The Brazilian is a target man, having won the second-highest number of aerial duels per 90 minutes in Ligue 1. As that stat suggests, he is imposing, happy to stomp into the channels and target space in behind.

Per data from SkillCorner, Emersonn made the most dangerous off-ball runs per 30 minutes of team possession in Europe’s top five leagues last season.

Though he is not the finished product, he gives Ipswich an out ball and will lean into the chaos of the counter-attack wherever he can, making himself a handful with his runs towards goal and ahead of the ball.

Further back, Sasa Lukic will bring Premier League experience and toughen up the midfield with his strength in the tackle. The 30-year-old Serbia midfielder joined after three seasons with Fulham.

He could join Azor Matusiwa in a deeper role, a combative defensive midfielder who loves to step up and crunch into a challenge to keep the opposition penned in. The 28-year-old Netherlands Under-21 international completed more tackles, interceptions and recoveries than any other Ipswich player last campaign.

Florentino Luis is another astute signing, one of Europe’s most intense midfielders without the ball, as he proved at Burnley last season. As we can see from the plot below, the 27-year-old is always searching to stick a foot in and intercept the ball, while no one in the Premier League in 2025-26 covered more distance per 60 minutes of ball-in-play time.

With so many destructive midfielders, Ipswich are well equipped to hold firm in a 4-4-2 defensive shape – or a back five, should O’Neil see fit – and look more equipped to survive games in which they do not have the territorial dominance they enjoyed in the division below.

When they do nick the ball, options will be flooding forward up ahead.

O’Neil has shown he can adapt his approach to various situations.

At Bournemouth, he helped stabilise the defence after Scott Parker was dismissed following a 9-0 defeat away to Liverpool, keeping the club in the division with a pragmatic, defensively organised style.

When head coach at Wolverhampton Wanderers, O’Neil’s team pressed higher and his wing-backs pushed on, leaning on the talents of a fluid front three in transition.

His latest job at Strasbourg saw a more balanced approach, but the desire for incisive forward passing and fast attacks remained clear.

Such tactical flexibility makes him a sensible bet to build on McKenna’s work, with a squad suited to shifting styles and playing O’Neil’s kind of intense, direct football that can help them to compete.

Their comfortable 3-0 pre-season win over Rayo Vallecano suggested that he would err towards a build-up shape with three defenders, giving attacking left-back Leif Davis freedom to push on. They were happy to invite Rayo’s man-to-man press and look to play through with short, sharp passes into midfield, where Luis and Marcelino Nunez were energetic and consistently offered the pass.

Such a sequence leads to their third goal, as the two midfielders combine, escape the pressure, and open up space for Luis to scamper forward and find a floated pass for Emersonn to score.

Though Ipswich aren’t likely to take risks with their build-up too often against the bigger sides, it is the kind of approach play seen from O’Neil’s teams before, pushing one full-back forward while the other stays deep.

It gets the dangerous Davis into promising areas to create — like we saw from Rayan Ait-Nouri under O’Neil at Wolves — while the winger on the opposite side, in this case Fatawu, is isolated and ready to receive the switch of play where he can face up to his defender one-vs-one.

Equally important will be Ipswich’s ability to create from more frenetic phases of play; pressing high, winning second balls in midfield, and picking their moments to swarm around the ball and sprint into space.

Their first goal against Rayo showed how their aggression without the ball can lead to chances. First, it is Emersonn who charges down the bouncing ball, before Nunez snaps at the heels of the midfielder, helping to box their opponents in.

Eventually, it is Sindre Walle Egeli — another busy midfielder with the technical quality to play as a No 10 and the energy to press from the front — who nicks the ball and launches the counter.

Notice how Davis begins to make his way down the left flank as soon as possession is turned over. The ball is eventually worked out to the full-back to score.

Ipswich are unlikely to press as aggressively as they did last season but their physical additions in midfield will help them to keep a solid shape and enable them to be selective about when they chase the ball.

There are parallels to Sunderland, who came up last season with a similarly hard-hitting style, before investing heavily to enhance that approach for the Premier League. A return like theirs will be the aspiration.

The big question is whether Ipswich can hold out defensively and whether the individual quality throughout the squad can deliver in the big moments to win games. While they have undoubtedly added more bite and muscle to their squad, they lacked the creative spark to make consistent inroads to Premier League defences two seasons ago, while lapses of concentration cost them further back.

Ipswich made 14 errors leading to goals — only Russell Martin’s Southampton made more two seasons ago — while they conceded around five goals more than the quality of shots faced suggested they should, pointing to underperformance from their goalkeepers.

They have recruited an eye-catching new goalkeeper, Kjell Scherpen, who will become the tallest player in Premier League history at 6ft 9in (2.06m). Predictably, he is a dominant cross-claimer, but has also posted promising shot-stopping numbers across two title-winning campaigns in Austria at Sturm Graz and his only season at Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium.

Issa Diop is another signing who adds grit and Premier League experience after spells at West Ham United and Fulham in the centre of defence, but the back four will need to be better protected this time around.

O’Neil will not try to reinvent McKenna’s Ipswich, but will look to add layers to their possession play while ensuring the team is more physically equipped for the end-to-end challenges of the Premier League.

The world’s most famous youth sports tournament returns to the airwaves.

This year’s Little League Baseball World Series calls on teams from far and wide — Curaçao to Czechia, Panama to Pennsylvania. There are over-the-air broadcasts and on-site programming from Williamsport, Pa., where Little Leaguers get treated like big deals.

It’s an event that means a lot to the families involved. Some participants grow up to be major leaguers, and a few of them will be a part of the TV coverage. Here’s how to watch along with the bracket. All times listed are ET.

You can watch every game of the 2026 Little League Baseball World Series on Fubo (Stream Free Now).

Little League Baseball World Series broadcasts

Every game of the tournament streams with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, while the first day is also available on Disney+. ESPN and Disney+ have international access for viewers in Australia, Brazil, the Caribbean, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Latin America, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. TSN+ gets the broadcast rights in Canada.

Thirty-two of the first 34 games fall on ESPN proper, with one ESPN2 spot (Thursday, Aug. 20) and one ABC look (Sunday, Aug. 23). The international and domestic finals are both on ABC, as is the championship game on Sunday, Aug. 30. ABC is free over the air.

There’s also the corresponding MLB Little League Classic at Williamsport’s Historic Bowman Field. It’s a regular-season matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves, both World Series hopefuls. That game is set for Sunday, Aug. 23, with coverage starting at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

The networks bring on two play-by-play announcers for the tournament. Karl Ravech is the most recognizable, and he’ll be on the championship weekend calls — even though the 33-year staple was laid off from ESPN last month. Mike Monaco is the other play-by-play voice.

Jessica Mendoza joins former big leaguers Chris Burke and Eduardo Pérez for analysis. There are also appearances from Todd Frazier and Devon Travis, two guys who played in the Little League World Series themselves en route to MLB careers. Sebastian Salazar and Jess Sims interview the Little Leaguers and share stories from around the tourney. Lowell Galindo and Kevin Connors split hosting duties for the studio show in Williamsport.

Jeremy Schaap anchors an E60 feature looking back at the life of Michael Cammarata, a former LLWS participant who grew up to be a firefighter. Cammarata was killed in the line of duty on 9/11, and his No. 11 jersey has been retired by Little League Baseball.

The full Little League Baseball World Series schedule

Wednesday, Aug. 19

• Game 1: Latin America vs. Caribbean, 1 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 2: Northwest vs. Southeast, 3 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 3: Canada vs. Asia-Pacific, 5 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 4: New England vs. Metro, 7 p.m. on ESPN

Thursday, Aug. 20

• Game 5: Australia vs. Mexico, noon on ESPN
• Game 6: Great Lakes vs. Mountain, 2 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 7: Japan vs. Curaçao, 4 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 8: West vs. Midwest, 6 p.m. on ESPN2

Friday, Aug. 21

• Game 9: Game 1 winner vs. Panama, 1 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 10: Game 2 winner vs. Southwest, 3 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 11: Europe & Africa vs. Game 3 winner, 5 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 12: Mid-Atlantic vs. Game 4 winner, 7 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday, Aug. 22

• Game 13: Game 3 loser vs. Game 5 loser, 1 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 14: Game 4 loser vs. Game 6 loser, 3 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 15: Game 1 loser vs. Game 7 loser, 5 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 16: Game 2 loser vs. Game 8 loser, 7 p.m. on ESPN

Sunday, Aug. 23

• Game 17: Game 6 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 9 a.m. on ESPN
• Game 18: Game 5 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 11 a.m. on ESPN
• Game 19: Game 8 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 1 p.m. on ABC
• Game 20: Game 7 winner vs. Game 11 winner, 2 p.m. on ESPN

Monday, Aug. 24

• Game 21: Game 9 loser vs. Game 13 winner, 1 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 22: Game 10 loser vs. Game 14 winner, 3 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 23: Game 11 loser vs. Game 15 winner, 5 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 24: Game 12 loser vs. Game 16 winner, 7 p.m. on ESPN

Tuesday, Aug. 25

• Game 25: Game 18 loser vs. Game 23 winner, 1 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 26: Game 17 loser vs. Game 24 winner, 3 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 27: Game 20 loser vs. Game 21 winner, 5 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 28: Game 19 loser vs. Game 22 winner, 7 p.m. on ESPN

Wednesday, Aug. 26

• Game 29: Game 18 winner vs. Game 20 winner, 1 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 30: Game 17 winner vs. Game 19 winner, 3 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 31: Game 25 winner vs. Game 27 winner, 5 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 32: Game 26 winner vs. Game 28 winner, 7 p.m. on ESPN

Thursday, Aug. 27

• Game 33: Game 29 loser vs. Game 31 winner, 3 p.m. on ESPN
• Game 34: Game 30 loser vs. Game 32 winner, 7 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday, Aug. 29

• Game 35 (International Championship): Game 29 winner vs. Game 33 winner, 12:30 p.m. on ABC
• Game 36 (United States Championship): Game 30 winner vs. Game 34 winner, 3:30 p.m. on ABC

Sunday, Aug. 30

• Game 37 (Consolation): Game 35 loser vs. Game 36 loser, 10 a.m. on ESPN
• Game 38 (LLBWS Championship): Game 35 winner vs. Game 36 winner, 3 p.m. on ABC

2026 Little League Baseball World Series teams

Sorted alphabetically by region:

• Asia-Pacific — West Seoul (B) LL from Seoul, South Korea
• Australia — Ryde LL from Sydney
• Canada — Little Mountain LL from Vancouver
• Caribbean — Los Nacionales LL from Santiago, Dominican Republic
• Curaçao — Pariba LL from Willemstad, Curaçao
• Europe & Africa — South Czech Republic LL from Brno, Czechia
• Great Lakes — West Side LL from Hamilton, Ohio
• Japan — Joto LL from Tokyo
• Latin America — Ministerio Sobre Las Alas Del Aguila LL from Leon, Nicaragua
• Metro — Bayonne Central LL from Bayonne, N.J.
• Mexico — Municipal de Tijuana LL from Tijuana, Baja California
• Mid-Atlantic — East Side LL from West Chester, Pa.
• Midwest — Davenport Northwest LL from Davenport, Iowa
• Mountain — Paseo Verde LL from Henderson, Nev.
• New England — Bridgewater Joe Lazaro LL from Bridgewater, Mass.
• Northwest — Soundview LL from Tacoma, Wash.
• Panama — David Doleguita LL from Chiriquí, Panama
• Southeast — Phenix City Youth Baseball LL from Phenix City, Ala.
• Southwest — Boerne LL from Boerne, Texas
• West — Sweetwater Valley LL from Bonita, Calif.

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