Unai Emery is embracing Aston Villa’s major summer overhaul, choosing to focus on the rebuild rather than complain about the changes
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: Getty Images)
Aston Villa might have lost five of the starting XI that lifted the Europa League trophy, but Unai Emery does not do transitional seasons.
The Villa boss saw his depleted side thrashed 4-0 by Brighton on the opening weekend, but has since moved quickly to strengthen his squad, adding Nicolas Jackson and Leon Goretzka, while exciting teenage winger Ibrahim Mbaye is also set to arrive from Paris Saint-Germain.
Johan Manzambi and Brian Madjo remain sidelined ahead of Monday night’s clash with Arsenal, and a slow start to the campaign would be understandable given the scale of the changes. Villa have lost Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa, Ollie Watkins and Emi Martínez this summer, while Amadou Onana is also sidelined after suffering an ACL injury during the World Cup.
Yet Emery will not allow his existing players or his new arrivals to use that upheaval as an excuse. The expectation at Villa remains to compete at the top end of the Premier League and make an impact in the Champions League.
“In football, if you are expecting transition, maybe you are not in the right way,” Emery insisted. “We must compete, we must win, we have to rebuild the team as fast as possible, we have to accept our way, our decisions, and why we are taking some decisions, but I am positive, and we are working.
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“At the same time, rebuilding the team with the players, they can understand how we want to play, and trying to understand some necessary time for some players to adapt to us. Of course, some players, they will need time more than others, and the players, they are with us for a long time. They must compete now, strong, and of course with all the ideas we were building, and trying to adapt the new players as fast as possible.
“For example, last week, we played with 10 players they were (here) last year. The only player (that) was not, was Joao Gomes. This is the objective. Of course, we didn’t perform, we didn’t compete, and we must do everything faster, and on Monday is the next challenge, and the Premier League is not waiting.
“There are 38 matches to play, points to play. We have lost the first match with those three points, and Monday, hopefully, Villa Park is being like we always felt there – supporting, playing with us, and we will need them again.”
Instead of moaning to the board, Emery has embraced the challenge of building a second iteration of Villa under his watch, accepting that, without the mega revenues of rival clubs who are also competing for the top four, player trading is inevitable.
“Of course, I want to keep some players like they were helping us to be successful, and how they were understanding everything we needed as mentally, and as players as well with their skills,” he continued.
“But I accept because I have experiences before in the same situation, and when I arrived here, I knew where I was arriving. And everything we are doing is really being fantastic. I expect the same. To continue doing special and different ways, with different players, but always thinking it’s something special, and something positive.
“Even maybe, we are not performing like we were performing, but the objective is to get progressively in the same way we did, and in the same performance we had. We will need time. Last year, we showed we will need time. On Monday, we will see it, if we will need more time, or some players they are progressing quick.”
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