Unai finally forced to admit that Villa are contenders
UNAI Emery finally announcing that Villa are in contention for a top-four finish was the answer supporters have been awaiting for the past six months.
The head coach’s admission validates the fact Villa find themselves in a glorious position to achieve what many thought impossible at the start of the campaign.
A win over Bournemouth next weekend would leave Tottenham six points adrift of fourth place before their run of games against Arsenal (h), Chelsea (a) and Liverpool (a). The momentum has swung in Villa’s favour.
There will be more twists and turns in the race for Champions League football, but Sunday’s 2-0 win over title-chasing Arsenal at The Emirates, courtesy of late goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins, will do Villa’s confidence the world of good. Here are the talking points.
n Emery: Win a big step towards the top four
For months he has batted away talk of challenging for the top four but after beating his former employers, the Spaniard had no option but to give in.
“It’s day 33. Okay, 63 (points)... we could now be contenders. We must be very demanding to keep it,” said Emery. “Before the match we were very motivated and very excited about the possibility. This is a very tough match and we needed to be focusing very well defensively.
“We wanted to be strong and have high commitment to defence, as we were in the first half. We tried to do 90 minutes being consistent and wait for our moment to control the game.
“The first half was more difficult but we tried to dominate with the ball. We did that less than in the second half. Second half, we competed very well but we are not being consistent in every match like I want. But we were fantastic.”
Villa are the only team Arsenal have not scored against in the Premier League this season.
“It’s not for me, it’s for Aston Villa,” said Emery, when questioned if the win was any sweeter because of his Arsenal connection. “It was tough because Arsenal are having an incredible season. I’m very proud of our work and the focus of the players, being demanding of themselves.”
Behind every top team is a worldclass goalkeeper and Villa have the very best in Emi Martinez. His save to deny Leandro Trossard what looked certain to be the opening goal was crucial.
Arsenal haven’t lost a home league game after going ahead since the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on January 1, 2022. It was crucial Villa defended manfully before controlling more of the game as it developed. It was an Emery masterclass.
A few minutes after referee David Coote blew for full-time, the players headed over to the away end. Martinez lapped up the celebrations by giving the fans three big fist pumps.
n Zaniolo’s best performance
Nicolo Zaniolo has been muchmaligned during his season-long loan, but in the last two months Emery admits to have been working with a totally different player.
Zaniolo is training better and concentrating more, plus his performances on the pitch have improved too.
The Italian’s display was his best in a Villa shirt and wherever he ends up next season, this performance will have raised his profile.
Champions League picture
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We’ll start with the fifth-place coefficient. If Manchester City, Arsenal and Villa all progress in Europe, plus Borussia Dortmund are eliminated from the Champions League, then a win over Bournemouth could practically seal the deal.
The three English clubs heading through would surely rack up more coefficient points than Bayer Leverkusen, who are likely to get past West Ham.
Liverpool could help by beating Atalanta, but after losing 3-0 at home, it is a tall order for them to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League. It is important City beat Real Madrid because even if Bayern Munich were to knock Arsenal out, the German giants would then face the Premier
League champions. Villa and Leverkusen could be the only other English and German clubs left in European competition as long as Atletico Madrid complete the job against Dortmund.
Villa need one more win to hit 66 points. Manchester United can only eclipse that if they win all six of their remaining games, while Newcastle would need five wins and a draw.