Aston Villa will jet out to Dubai for a training camp after games against Brentford and Club Brugge
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Updated 22:34, 07 Mar 2025
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: Leicester City FC via Getty Imag)
Unai Emery is hopeful that an easing injury list will allow Aston Villa to enjoy a run of form similar to the back end of 2022/23 when the club clinched their return to European football.
Villa went 10 games unbeaten from the end of February until the end of March, winning eight in that period, before then claiming key wins over Tottenham and Brighton either side of drawing at Anfield.
It propelled the club from danger in the bottom half of the table right into contention for the European places, where they managed to finish seventh on the final day of the season ahead of this weekend’s opponents Brentford.
Villa’s objective this campaign was to remain in Europe, ideally through Champions League qualification in successive seasons.
Six points adrift from Chelsea in fifth place, Villa need to start stringing wins together having failed to claim victory in more than two matches in a row since the start of the campaign when they managed it against Leicester City, Everton and Wolves.
Injuries have been a factor as to why Villa have struggled for consistency this term, but they take on Brentford with only a couple of possible absentees.
Ross Barkley was ruled out by Unai Emery, while Amadou Onana is a doubt, but has returned to full training with the squad.
“Two years ago we got our best performances playing one match a week in the Premier League, with the same players playing,” Emery explained.
“Last year we didn't get our best performances in the second part of the season because we were involved in Europe, in the Premier League and we had some players injured and we weren't consistent.
“This year, hopefully, we can be in the last two months and a half with more players than the last month we had and performing as we would expect.
“Hopefully, we will get this objective with the players available and with the structure being stronger and being more consistent than we were. But I don't know exactly. Hopefully, we can get it.”
Emery added: “We are building the team and we are trying to get a new way with different players we added the last transfer window and the process we can have with them. Some are going quick, some are slower.
“But the work we are doing is trying to get as soon as possible our structure again strong and try to compete with the players we have for 90 minutes.
“We were speaking in the dressing room about how we weren't performing sometimes because we didn't have enough players to play 90 minutes in the same demand we have.
“Now we have some examples with the sub players where we got a good result from them having a good impact.”
After taking on Brentford and Club Brugge in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, members of the Villa squad who aren't called up to their national teams will jet out to Dubai for a training camp.
"I know we are going to have some players with their national teams," Emery said. "Our plan is to keep 10 to 12 players and work with them a little bit, trying to focus for four days out of here, preparing for the next month."
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