Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Gary Neville’s major worry for Aston Villa is keeping hold of Unai Emery after watching them implode on the opening weekend of the Premier League season at Brighton.
Villa have lost several key players this summer and could sell Ollie Watkins and Emi Martínez in the coming days, with both absent from the trip to the Amex.
Without Watkins, Emery had no recognised striker to select from, with Tammy Abraham and Brian Madjo also out injured. Villa did not register a single shot on target against Brighton and had just four touches in the opposition box across the 90 minutes.
Brighton went 4-0 up inside 31 minutes, punishing mistakes from Villa, who struggled to get going in the match but managed to steady themselves after half-time.
"I mean, the goals that Villa conceded were horrific. But you looked at the Villa team as it was announced, and you looked at the Villa bench, and you were like, they've had the heart ripped out of it,” Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast.
"You talk about who's left: Tielemans, Rogers, Konsa. Talk about the heart being ripped out of Newcastle's midfield. I mean, the experience that they've lost there. And there's this peculiar thing going on at the moment with PSR, and sort of no one knows where the money is. It's all over the shop, isn't it?
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"And so Villa will be sat there. Villa's fans will be sat there. They've got an outstanding manager, and the big thing that I was thinking during that match at 4-0 was, they've got to keep Unai Emery. Is Unai Emery going to think, is he going to think, ‘Hang on a minute, I can't be associated with this’?
"Hopefully not, because I really want Villa to do well, and I want Unai Emery to stay there because I think I love the idea of different teams breaking into the Champions League places. And watching Villa in the last couple of seasons has been a joy. I just love Emery and the way he works, the way his teams play. It's great to see them, from where they were 10 years ago when they were in the Championship.
"So, yeah, it's a brilliant journey that they've been on, and sort of getting into this position. But this could go like that quite quickly. But they've got to hold on to the manager. They've somehow got to get some players in this week.
"There's talk of the boy signed from Germany, Goretzka. Yeah. So look, if they can get three or four in this week, he does have a habit, Unai, of being able to get players in.
"I mean, I think he's probably the best manager in the league from a point of view of overall record and his experience. So, absolutely, you'd want to play for him.
"And Villa are in a great position. They're going to have a lot of good games this season. So, look, that was a shock seeing that. Well done to Brighton. But, yeah, that was a big shock. And my immediate nervousness for Aston Villa is keeping their manager."
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