Aston Villa have got that winning feeling back!
It wasn’t so long ago that Villa’s form had slummed and questions were being asked of the team and of Unai Emery.
But fast forward to the present and it’s now three wins in a row, including Villa’s 3-2 win against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
It was a deserved three points for the Midlands outfit, but it’s fair to say that life was made far more difficult than it should have been.
The reason for that is that, after John McGinn opened the scoring after three minutes, Emi Martinez proceeded to make an awful mistake to allow the home team back into the match.
Then Jhon Duran came off the bench to score another wondergoal, but Marco Rose’s side fought back again, before Ross Barkley scored the winner five minutes from time.
That’s when things started to get nervy for Aston Villa, the players, the fans and a certain Emery.
Unai Emery tells Aston Villa players to ‘relax’ after Ross Barkley’s winner
Whatever the scoreline, if Emery isn’t happy with something on the sidelines, then he will tell you about it and you will be made aware of it.
Saying that, Paul Robinson was baffled by his actions after Barkley’s winner went in because the Villa boss proceeded to tell everyone to ‘calm down’ on the touchline.
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But, the former Premier League goalkeeper stated that it was Emery himself who needed to ‘relax’, not his players during such a nervy moment, as he told BBC Sport.
“Unai Emery is walking around telling everyone to calm down, trying to tell his players to relax,” explained Robinson.
“He’s the one who needs to relax at the moment.”
head coach Unai Emery of Aston Villa gestures during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between RB Leipzig and Aston Villa FC...
Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
What Emery said post-match after Villa beat RB Leipzig
Villa’s chances of reaching the top eight of the Champions League have increased ten fold and it’s now in their hands.
Two games remain – an away trip to Monaco after the New Year and then Villa’s all-British home clash against Celtic on January 29.
Win them and an automatic place to the knockout places will be secured, with Emery sharing his thoughts on the Leipzig game.
“I’m very happy,” Emery told Villa’s website. “The supporters were here with us and they were fantastic. They help us massively always in this competition and today as well, and we got those three points because we were feeling comfortable.
“We planned the match like we did and we are thankful for the supporters, thankful for every Aston Villa follower because we enjoy the Champions League with them.
“We have 13 points now and we have to be happy, but we have to keep balance. In this competition we are now in the top 24, maybe in the top 16, but we have the opportunity with winning today to play for the top eight positions. We will work for it.”
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