STICK EMERY .... OR TWIST
Villa boss now facing his ’Moscow’ moment: What comes first, fourth place or Euro glory?
THERE is every chance this won’t turn out to be Unai Emery’s ‘Moscow’ moment.
But if this result contributes towards Aston Villa’s failure to reach the Champions League, it will be remembered as such.
Fifteen years ago, thenmanager Martin O’neill rested several key players for a UEFA Cup trip to CSKA in Russia.
Villa were third, seven points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal. But when they returned and resumed their
Premier League duties, a secondhalf collapse against Stoke City sparked an eight-game streak without a win.
O’neill’s side failed to cement their position in the top four. It was as close as the club has come to breaking into the elite. Fast-forward to last week’s trip to the Etihad and Emery rested several players –such as Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Leon Bailey. Goalkeeper Emi Martinez was reportedly ill.
Villa were able to put last season’s Treble winners under pressure for a long period, prompting ‘what if...’ questions among the fan base after.
But Emery (above) stuck to his guns and remained unrepentant about his choice.
He said: “Last Wednesday was important for the team – to allow some players to play and grow with experience.
“I am proud of every player I have. A schedule with plenty of crucial matches is coming – we need everyone wanting to help. Every footballer in my squad has my full support. I believe in this team. So there is nothing to regret about the Manchester City match.
“Football is great because it’s a sport where you get an opportunity to come back every few days. And now is the moment to come back stronger.”
Striker Ollie Watkins was unimpressed with his side tossing away a two-goal lead against opponents who did not muster a shot on target for the first hour of the match.
Watkins and Morgan Rogers had Villa two up early in the second half only for Mathias Jorgensen, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa to score for the visitors in a nine-minute spell. Watkins rescued a point 10 minutes from the end and then laid into his teammates, saying Villa “lacked a big-game mentality”, adding: “These are the games we need to be winning. That’s what the top teams do. They finish it off, kill it off. They are smart.
“Maybe we just don’t have that maturity yet or game intelligence.”
The forward referenced a similar situation against Manchester United on Boxing Day. But that is where his theory falls down – Villa have thrown away the secondfewest points from leading positions this season.
But there have been signs recently Villa’s early-season defensive form is failing, particularly at home. They have lost three and drawn one out of six on their own patch since the New Year as well as going out of the FA Cup.
Emery wasn’t pressing the panic button just yet. He said: “We need to keep a balance.
“We are disappointed, frustrated. We played very well until the 60th minute and after the 75th minute. But in those minutes in between, we didn’t. The mentality of the team we need to strengthen. Everybody is upset and not understanding why this happened.
“It’s difficult to understand but you have to respect your opponents. Maybe we made some mistakes. But everything can change in the Premier League in 10 minutes.
“I will work it out with the players. I will tell them how we can continue being successful. We have 60 points from 32 games – it is more than we expected. We have to correct it and not repeat it.”
ASTON VILLA (4-4-1-1): Martinez 6, Konsa 6, Carlos 6, Torres 6, Digne 6 (Moreno 90), Luiz 6, Mcginn 7, Tielemans 7 (Duran 90), Rogers 6 (Zaniolo 69, 5), Bailey 6 (Diaby 90), Watkins 8 BRENTFORD (3-5-2): Flekken 5, Collins 6, Ajer 6, Zanka 6, Roerslev 6,
Damsgaard 6 (Yarmoliuk 81), Janelt 6, Jensen 6 (Onyeka 85), Reguilon 8 (Lewispotter 76), Wissa 6 (Toney 81), Mbeumo 7 (Maupay 85)