Cash jackpot as Emery is on the money

MATTY Cash insists Villa now have “the perfect manager” in Unai Emery and believes “this is just the start”.

After a poor beginning to the season, which saw Villa drop into the Premier League’s bottom three in the opening weeks, Steven Gerrard was relieved of his duties and replaced by Emery.

The Spaniard has won his two league games at the helm, against Manchester United and Brighton.

Those results have lifted Villa up to 12th and they are now just three points off seventh place as the league breaks for the World Cup.

“We knew if we could get the win over Brighton we would be in a really good place heading into the break, so we are buzzing about that,’’ said Cash, reflecting on Villa’s dramatic turnaround.

“I really don’t think the club has a ceiling, it is such a big club. I think the building block is very important.

“A few years ago we got promoted and then stayed up on the final day. You have to build slowly. You can’t just go from bottom to top.

“I think we have the perfect manager and the sky’s the limit. Hopefully we can keep progressing in the right direction.”

Asked what Emery has done to galvanise the group, Poland international Cash said: “He has done loads of things. We have had tactical meetings, a good couple of hours of those a week. He has been showing us how he wants us to play.

“When you go to places like Brighton you know it is not going to be pretty because when they press you it is hard to play through. We have to do the other half well and we did that. This is just the start.

“The result (coming from behind) shows we have resilience and character. To come from a goal down against a good side shows how good we are. We need to be harder to beat.

“If you want to do well in this league you have to be that. It is one of the big things he has put into the group. We defend our box and the forward players finish it off.”