Doesn't it appear that Liverpool has a good week ahead of them? They face Villarreal, a city with a population that would not fill Anfield, rather than Manchester City or Real Madrid.
But I've seen a lot of Villarreal this year, including Unai Emery's masterclasses in eliminating Bayern Munich and Juventus. In England, the knockout king Emery is reviled.
Only one individual, Zinedine Zidane, has a better record in European knockout games, according to Owen Hargreaves and me. Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are in front of Emery.
I understand that the majority of those games were in the Europa League — he's won it four times, most recently by defeating Manchester United last year — but certain managers have a penchant for cup football.
With a UEFA Cup at Valencia, Champions League finals with Liverpool, and a Europa League at Chelsea, Rafa Benitez possessed that ability. You could always count on him to out-think his opponent on two legs, although we were often outmatched in the league.
Villarreal, who are currently eighth in La Liga and may not even qualify for Europe next season, reminds me of Villarreal.
There's something about these people in charge. It's either there or it's not. Emery is the one who has it. It's incredible that he's gotten so much out of that group.
With the 'good ebening' thing, he doesn't have that degree of respect over here. It's necessary to bring it up. While at Arsenal, Emery's pronounciation of the word "evening" was a subject of immense hilarity.
In a faraway land, here is a man who is making an effort. He thinks to himself, "This will be courteous, I'll say this," and he ends up being mocked. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't grin, but he was making an effort to create cordial relationships.
I'd say 'buenas noches' in a news conference if I went to play in Spain and someone convinced me it was a good idea.
People who truly despise him are unlikely to speak another language, and Emery was dealing with garbage. He's worked for France's biggest club, England's biggest club, and Spain's biggest club - I'm confident he's doing something right.
Remember, Newcastle United was interested in him. He declined, and you have to question if part of his choice was influenced by terrible recollections of managing in England.
Before 18 months in London, he accomplished an incredible job at Sevilla and was a force at Paris Saint-Germain, where he was wrongfully dismissed. Arsenal was a disappointment, and some of their fans have told me that they can't believe what he's accomplishing and how he's doing it with such a strong defensive strategy.
It would be absurd to claim that things were going well at Arsenal or that the club should have given him more time.
They were falling behind, and Emery had a big part to play in that since he was having a lot of trouble. Now he's back at Villarreal, and his performances against Bayern were nothing short of spectacular.
They defended as if their lives depended on it, yet the triumph was not solely due to a last-ditch effort. I've seen true rearguard play, with every man in front of the ball, rarely having a go and relying on a set piece.
Villarreal isn't like that. They maintain their threat by breaking at a breakneck pace and having goal threats in Gerard Moreno and Arnaut Danjuma. That is exactly what you require. It's pointless to sit in and hope for the best over two legs against teams like Bayern Munich and now Liverpool, since there's only one winner 99 times out of 100.
They kept it tight at the Allianz Arena, and I've never seen Bayern try so many crosses or throw balls in so frequently. Villarreal's defense was outstanding.
Keeping it tight against Robert Lewandowski, who is so good in the air and scores in his sleep, was a gutsy move. Villarreal had faith in themselves.
Everything was handled by former Real Madrid players Pau Torres and Raul Albiol. Torres has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, and possesses all of the necessary skills to thrive in England.
Consider Etienne Capoue, Francis Coquelin, Serge Aurier, and Juan Foyth as members of their squad. These players are not'rejects' from the Premier League because they have had successful careers, but they are not household names in the sport's most prestigious tournament.
They've all played their part. I admire how they kept to their game plan and remained a danger moving ahead, rather than just hanging on.
Liverpool will undoubtedly be wary. To be honest, and I realize I've just spent this column praising Villarreal, but I don't see the Reds falling short, and it has more to do with their own standards than the opponent.
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