Aston Villa’s come-from-behind win at Fulham showed a young team growing with maturity… even after their best start in 26 years, it feels like Unai Emery and his side can get even BETTER
Unai Emery walked into his post-match press conference and hardly looked like a man whose side had got off to their best league start in 26 years.
‘We played very seriously and mature,’ the Aston Villa boss said, with one eye on Tuesday night.
Once a game is complete, Emery will sit at the front of Villa’s coach, pull out his laptop and begin to focus on the next opponents.
Win against Bologna in the Champions League on Tuesday and Villa will, in all likelihood, qualify for the knockout stages of the new Champions League format.
Pre-tournament, UEFA simulations predicted that an average of 7.6 points (two wins and two draws) from eight games would be enough for qualification. Villa already have six points, with six games to play.
Unai Emery is keeping calm despite overseeing Aston Villa’s stunning start to the new season
Villa got off to their best league start in 26 years by beating Fulham 3-1 on Saturday
Villa rising star Morgan Rogers (left) opened the scoring in the Craven Cottage league clash
Since losing to Arsenal in August, Emery’s men have gone unbeaten in nine games across all competitions and the fundamentals of their display on the Thames were a reminder that they have the squad and a manager, who is aware of what it takes to simultaneously compete in Europe and in the Premier League.
You only have to look at Newcastle last season to see how qualifying for the Champions League can affect you domestically. Apart from the opening weekend, Eddie Howe’s side weren’t in the top four for the rest of the season and eventually finished seventh.
For Newcastle, it always felt like a fleeting joy and they ultimately finished bottom in a group that contained AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and PSG.
With a manager like Emery – who has four Europa League titles to his name – there is a genuine sense at Villa that they aren’t just there to make up the numbers, It’s telling too perhaps that Emery has requested floodlights at Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training complex so they can train on evenings.
In an even contest at Craven Cottage, it came down to the key moments and Villa won those. Emiliano Martinez, described by Emery as ‘the best goalkeeper in the world’ saved Andreas Pereira’s penalty before Ollie Watkins got the crucial goal.
There was no need for any Jhon Duran heroics off the bench but it spoke volumes of their squad depth that Emery could bring on the likes of Duran, Jadon Philogene, Ross Barkley, John McGinn and Emi Buendia.
Either side of beating Bayern Munich, Villa dropped four points with draws at Ipswich and at home to Man Utd but there was a sense of a team growing in maturity here. Again, they came from behind but resilience is second nature for them under Emery.
Since losing to Arsenal in August, Emery’s (right) men have gone unbeaten in nine games across all competitions
England striker Ollie Watkins (right) has been crucial to Villa’s sensational rise under Emery
Sunday marked two years since the day Steven Gerrard was sacked by Villa, following a 3-0 defeat at Craven Cottage which left them just outside the relegation zone. Only Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have won more points since them.
The Spaniard’s contract runs until 2029 and you get the feeling that there is so much more to come.
‘It’s only getting better for us – you can see the direction the club is going with good signings and Champions League football so it’s exciting times to be a Villa player and also a Villa fan,’ said Watkins.
The ceiling is only getting higher for Aston Villa.
