Unai Emery has said he is happy with Aston Villa’s season as he does not see his team as a top-seven side, and there were even concerns from the Spaniard that the club could be dragged into a relegation battle this season.
Emery’s Villa face a crucial final week of the season against Liverpool and Manchester City in a bid to clinch a Champions League spot, with either team in next Wednesday’s Europa League final against Freiburg.
However, Villa go into Friday night’s clash with Liverpool, live on Sky Sports, without a win in their last three league games, including a 2-2 draw with relegated Burnley last Sunday.
A win against Liverpool on Friday will seal their place in next season’s Champions League. However, a loss could mean an uncertain end to the season in terms of a top-five finish.
However, Emery remains positive about the season overall. His team is performing better than other clubs and with greater resources.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Emery was asked if there was still a “big six” in the Premier League, to which he replied: “For me there is a top seven.” “I think Newcastle are in the top seven.
“We saw at the beginning of the season that we had a top seven ahead of us. We have West Ham, Everton, maybe Fulham or Brighton as well. We are the team behind the top seven teams.”
“But Bournemouth, Brighton, Fulham, Brentford as well – they’ve been doing great.
“And due to various circumstances, some teams have not achieved their goals and are in the relegation zone. West Ham is also a team that should be close to us. This is the Premier League.”
“I thought we might be relegated, but I dreamed of winning the title.”
Speaking of West Ham, Emery revealed he was concerned about his side suffering the same fate as the Hammers, who are in the relegation zone with two games in hand.
Villa had a disastrous start to the Premier League season itself, failing to win their first five games. And the Spaniard recalled a scenario in which he thought a relegation battle was a possibility.
“I was worried at first,” Emery added. “We were worried because we played the first month and the first five games and were bottom of the table, because we know how difficult the Premier League is.
Emery admits he was worried about relegation at the start of the season
“At that moment I became worried because I was thinking that if we didn’t respond, maybe we wouldn’t be in the Premier League, maybe we’d be in the relegation zone, maybe we’d never get out of this position.”
“Of course, we did that right away and then set our level higher and have maintained it to this day. And although (the level of) performance in the last two months is not what it was before, we have maintained it.”
Of course, Villa bounced back and won 12 of their next 13 league games, leaving manager Emery feeling that his side could be in contention for the title.
“Of course, when we were close to Manchester City and Arsenal in December, even I dreamed at that moment of competing for the title with them,” he recalls.
“But, of course, we could not maintain the same level that they have and the same level that they are showing. It is clear that their power is better than ours.”
“But we had great competition and of course we are Aston Villa and we have our historical way of doing things. We have our process here now as well. And I’m very, very happy with how we’re doing it.”
“Why? Because we are playing against teams that are better than us. At the beginning of the season they (those teams) started to become contenders, for example Tottenham, Newcastle, Chelsea. They are behind us.”
“They also have ambitions, priorities and goals to be in the position that we are more or less in.
“It’s very difficult to get into that, but there are a lot of teams in the Premier League who are doing really well, like Brighton and Bournemouth, and they’re close to us as well.
“This is the Premier League. It’s very difficult and you have to be resilient enough that even when you don’t perform well, you react like we did and try to leave room for improvement.”
Are Villa thinking about the European final during the game against Liverpool?
Friday, May 15th 7pm
Kickoff at 8pm
So will Villa’s players be 100 per cent focused on facing Arne Slott’s Reds in their match against Liverpool, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports just days before the Europa League final, where a win will seal their place in the Champions League?
“We are focused on the (Liverpool) game,” Emery said. “And the only way I know is to prepare for the match by analyzing everything we do, the work we do in training sessions, the preparation for the match, tactically the set-pieces.
“The goal is to arrive at 8pm thinking 100% about the game that’s coming up. And of course that’s a big challenge for us and a big test of what kind of relationship we have with them.”
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Rob Jones gives verdict on Aston Villa’s defeat of injury-hit Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-final
“We have the same number of points now. How can I test myself individually, collectively and as a coach against them? For me, that’s a big challenge.
“Of course we will be playing in the final. Of course we feel it is a very good opportunity, but we cannot afford to lose. If we lose, we have not achieved anything.”
Watch Aston Villa vs Liverpool live on Sky Sports’ Friday Night Football, kicking off at 8pm…
