CALM BEFORE THE STORMER
Latin temperament but English stiff upper lip as Emery tells his troops to Keep Calm and Carry on Scoring
KEEP calm and carry on could be Aston Villa’s motto right now.
Skipper John McGinn revealed that manager Unai Emery told them to do just that at half-time after initially being dominated by Brentford.
And despite allowing Ivan Toney to score his 19th Premier League goal of the season, they eventually rescued a point through a late equaliser from Douglas Luiz ( below, right).
No-one should be surprised. Villa do not know when they are beaten under Emery.
They have not failed to score in any of his 19 league games in charge. And with Fulham at home tom o r row and European football still a realistic possibility, it’s all to play for at Villa Park these days.
Asked what Emery (right) told the team at half- time, McGinn said: “Stay calm and things will happen. We’ve been in this position before. After the goal, we reacted well and could have nicked it at the end.
“It was a good last ten minutes for us. They make you fight. When you go 1-0 behind, it’s a really good point.
“We were pushing. We wanted to win.
“We have a big game on Tuesday to give ourselves the best chance of Europe.”
Villa actually missed a chance to set a new club record of six consecutive wins in the Premier League.
But they have still taken 23 points from the last 27 up for grabs, keeping six clean sheets during that run.
And the way they battled and scrapped to claw their way back into the game and escape with a draw here bodes well for their chances of a top-six finish.
Emery said: “We will try to compete and be a candidate to play in Europe. We’re there. Now is the key moment, the difficult moment, to get to the next step.
“Brentford made it difficult. We are very demanding, but we have to understand the matches being difficult.
“I told the players, I’m so happy with this draw because it was difficult. We can play better and we have to demand to play better for the next matches.”
Challenging for a Champions League spot may be beyond them but make no mistake, Villa are bang in the race for the Europa League.
And Emery seems confident that World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez will be back to face Fulham tomorrow after coming off at halftime. Martinez was sick before the game, but is expected to recover from a stomach virus to take his place.
In his absence, understudy Robin Olsen had a couple of nervy moments. But Brentford failed to take advantage.
Kevin Schade missed an open goal after Olsen failed to hold on to his initial effort, and substitute Frank Onyeka also missed a great a chance.
England striker Toney complained afterwards that Brentford lack that killer instinct and need better game management. But Bees boss Thomas Frank claimed he was “not sure how you coach ruthlessness” and he played down what he thought may have been an emotional response.
He said: “I think that in general, not from Ivan, that is an emotional conclusion. I think in general, we have done very well there throughout the season. I was proud of my team.”
Sounds like keep calm and carry on might just be the best way forward for Brentford, too.