Unai Emery is finally winning admirers in the Premier League after revitalising Aston Villa just five months into his redemptive return to English football. Villa were languishing just above the relegation zone when Emery was hired following Steven Gerrard’s sacking after an underwhelming 11-month spell in charge.
Energised by the Spaniard, Villa have climbed to seventh in the table thanks to an impressive run of 10 wins from 16 league games. Since the 51-year-old’s first game in early November, only leaders Arsenal and second-placed Manchester City have earned more than Villa’s haul of 32 points.
Villa host struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday aiming to move closer to the sixth-place finish that would mean a return to European football for the first time since the 2010/11 season.
Emery initially targeted the top 10, but now he is setting his sights higher. In my mind is to have always the objective, and one of them is to try and be close and take the option (to get into Europe),” he said.
“We are very proud of our work. We are very proud of our supporters. We are very happy. To get into the top 10 has been very difficult. Now getting in a position for Europe is going to be more difficult.
“We are going to be demanding. We are going to be ambitious. We are going to be realistic.” Villa’s current success is a far cry from the difficulties Emery endured during his first spell in the Premier League at Arsenal.
He first came to prominence in Spain, where he won the Europa League three years in a row with Sevilla. That success led to a turbulent two-year stint at Paris Saint-Germain, which featured a Ligue 1 title triumph but also a tense relationship with the club’s star forward Neymar.
After leaving the French capital, Emery accepted the daunting task of replacing Arsene Wenger at Arsenal in 2018. It was a move that did not pay off as Emery inherited a struggling squad and a fanbase unconvinced he was the right man to revitalise the club.
Source: eNCA
In other news – Video -Babes Wodumo celebrates 10 Million streams at Mampintsha’s grave
Babes Wodumo celebrates her late husband, Mandla Maphumulo Mampintsha’s milestone.
The Gqom takes to his grave to pop a wine after the late star hit 10 million streams on YouTube. Learn more
