FALSE 10: Good ebening, Mr Brad Pitt

"There are rich teams, and there are poor teams. Then there's 50 feet of crap, and then there's us."

That's what Brad Pitt says in one of those memorable lines from the 2011 award-winning sports drama Moneyball, which portrays the life of baseball general manager, Billy Beane, who attempts to assemble a very competitive team to fight the giants with the much greater financial resources.

But it's impossible to compete with half (or even a third) as much money as your rivals, relying solely on undervalued talent and leftovers, right? Pitt - we mean, Beane - proved it's actually possible. With a bit of help from his closest associate, Peter Brand, and the use of a sophisticated sabermetric approach to scouting and analysing players.

But he's not the only one, as we're witnessing a genuine Moneyball in front of our very eyes as we speak - only this time in football, in the English Premier League.

So, where's the expected euphoria surrounding it and the media attention, followed by inevitable praise on social media? And what is the reason most of us are entirely unaware of it?

Maybe because the guy behind it is not as good-looking and hasn't got Brad Pitt's rizz, and was mocked back in the day for his clumsy pronunciation of English. Of course, we're talking about Mr Good Ebening, Unai Emery, the ex-Arsenal boss, current (much more than) Aston Villa head coach.

From 2023 until September 2025, Emery was paired at Villa Park with his compatriot and former Sevilla sporting director Monchi, with whom he won three consecutive Europa League titles between 2013 and 2016. The 1982 European Champion (Aston Villa defeated Bayern Munich in the European Cup final 1-0) gave the keys of the squad to the mighty Sevilla duo in the hope of resurrection. To finally end the decades of Villa's clueless wandering and transform that mediocre Birmingham gang - we're not talking about Peaky Blinders here, although they come from the same city and did look criminal on the pitch more than occasionally - into a true European powerhouse.

FALSE 10: Eze Trilogy - Prophet, Traitor, Achiever

And to do all that reshaping with the restricted resources amid sanctions due to the previous breaching of rules (PSR) imposed by both the Premier League and UEFA.

'Buy cheap to grow, then sell big to sustain,' as some would say.

But how to do it? That mentioned analyst-geek Peter Brand, portrayed by Jonah Hill, had a perfect explanation of someone else's false scouting, which one could use as a solution for their recruiting.

"The people are overlooked for a variety of biased reasons and perceived flaws: age, appearance, personality..."

FALSE 10: And after all, you're my Wonderwall

For instance, winger Morgan Rogers, a Manchester City academy graduate who never got a chance at the Etihad, was signed by Villa from Middlesbrough for €9.4 million in January 2024. The 23-year-old has since become an England international, and his current market value is a staggering €70 million.

Then, there's Youri Tielemans. A versatile Belgian midfielder came as a free agent in 2023 following his lengthy spell at Leicester City, and has risen into one of the key figures of Emery's Villa. His current market value - around €70 million, and he's still only 28.

OK, that's buying, but what about selling, you might say...

They needed to sell Douglas Luiz in 2024 to balance the books, with the midfielder joining Juventus for more than decent £42m. He made just three Serie A starts last season and joined Nottingham Forest a few months ago.

Moreover, they generated significant profit through selling their youth product Omari Kellyman to Chelsea for £19m and Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle for £40m.

As we can see, Monchi and Emery looked beyond those basic, obvious numbers and stats, successfully taking Villa to the Europa Conference League semi-finals in 2024 and securing a Champions League place as they finished fourth in the Premier League that season.

However, like in every other movie, this Birmingham-based Moneyball also had its dramatic part, plot twist, and the risk of reaching a dead end. Monchi was the one to pay the price - he stepped down in September 2025 following a poor start to the season, as Villa had a winless streak of six games, sitting 18th in the table.

"Villa have spent really badly", the pundits and other vultures commented in the days when the dark clouds surrounded Villa Park.

Thankfully, Unai Emery not only prevailed but also received the necessary support from the club's board to continue the mission. And he did it - perfectly!

Just three months later, Villa are a legitimate title contender, fighting shoulder to shoulder with Arsenal and Manchester City on the wings of nine consecutive victories in all competitions.

Defying xG, numbers and expectations: Villa almost at the Premier League summit

Since the defeat at Anfield to Liverpool (0-2) on November 1, Emery's team has beaten Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bournemouth, Leeds United, Young Boys, Wolverhampton, Brighton, Arsenal, Basel and West Ham.

If they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford this Sunday, that would be a huge statement, a genuine letter of intent signed by the xG exterminator himself - Unai Emery.

As you have already read at Mozzart Sport Kenya, Villa shouldn't even be near the top, according to xG - a metric god that the kids of today worship more than the actual players.

Villa have scored 25 EPL goals so far, while their cumulative xG sits at just 17.06. Defying xG, odds and predictions, punching way above their expected weight.

FALSE 10: Ange lost the entire 21 grams in less than forty days

Drawing parallels with Moneyball and between Emery and Billy Beane, however, as tasty as it can be, it has its flip side, too, of which Villa fans should be aware. And if you happen to be one, this is probably the perfect moment to stop reading this piece and leave it with a smile.

Despite being a true trailblazer who profoundly changed the game and the way teams recruit players, Beane will be remembered for creating the most cost-effective teams, albeit without winning titles.

His methods influenced the way many teams and players think about the game of baseball, but it was just not enough to reach the very summit, to grab the trophy.

FALSE 10: Do they really respect African football?

Not even a Hollywood fairytale could have a happy ending, so what on earth is Unai Emery dreaming of?

Well, now that you've mentioned it - there's another Brad Pitt movie that actually encapsulates what it takes to get yourself a reward you deserve on English soil.

Snatch.

By: BOJAN BABIC