Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has responded to criticism levelled at his side after losing three of their last four matches
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: Getty Images)
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Unai Emery insists that fan frustration is an indicator of Aston Villa’s high expectations, but he has also called for perspective on the club’s rise over the past three years.
Villa have won only one of their last nine matches in all competitions, losing their last three league games in a row - just the second time this has happened under Emery - following a defeat at Old Trafford on Sunday.
However, a 1-0 victory over Lille OSC in France last week has given Villa a strong foundation to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Such an opportunity - alongside competing for another Champions League campaign - is something Emery admits would have been unimaginable just three years ago.
"We feel that the season is something which we must achieve through consistency. If we stop now, how we were on Sunday or two weeks ago, we can feel strange," Emery admitted.
"We are playing the second leg of the last 16 of the Europa League. When we arrived here three and a half years ago, it was a dream. A dream.
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"In that moment, it was so difficult to think about, or to set it as something to achieve in the time we have done it in. So quick.
"How we are being consistent and being fourth in the league, even losing the last three matches, we are fourth. It was a huge dream three years ago.
"We are being so demanding, and to be demanding like we are means we can become frustrated, and the supporters become frustrated. But I prefer it.
"Sometimes we can get criticism for the results we have in moments, because we set our standards so high. I want to be there. I want to fight for the positions we are in now.
"Our opponent, how they are behind us and how it is necessary for them to be in our position, is not our concern. But I appreciate a lot how we are doing our way and how we are being demanding in our way.
"Sometimes when we don’t achieve it, we can be frustrated, but also thinking overall that we can feel so happy.
"My ambition is not stopping and being in Europe, I appreciate that a lot. The league is the priority because we can achieve Europe. We are now watching how difficult it is for the best teams in the world and in England to compete in Europe."