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Unai Emery Relishing Exciting ‘New Phase’ And Explains How Aston Villa Are Better Prepared

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is relishing the “new phase” of the season, starting at Deepdale on Sunday

Unai Emery hopes Aston Villa can attack the final two months of the campaign with full energy – unlike last season.

Despite losing players to injury and suffering from fatigue in the final weeks of the previous campaign, Villa managed to hold on to fourth place, securing qualification for the Champions League.

However, they fell short of reaching the Europa Conference League final, losing 6-2 on aggregate to Olympiacos in the semi-finals.

This season, Villa have an exciting run-in ahead. They are in the quarter-finals of both the FA Cup and the Champions League, while also remaining in the race for a top-five finish in the Premier League.

During the March international break, Emery took a small group of first-team players to Dubai, while most of his squad linked up with their respective national teams.

Only Ross Barkley is set to miss Villa’s FA Cup quarter-final against Preston North End on Sunday. Emery is hopeful that his squad will be able to handle the demands of their busy schedule.

“The international break is always important for the players. When we first arrived here, we didn’t have many players in the national team,” Emery said

“We gradually increased the number of players joining their national teams because we were performing well – both collectively and individually.

“Of course, it’s better when we can work with every player here. We were in Dubai for a few days, and we worked fantastically with the players we had. I think we needed to use that time to build consistency with the group we were working with.

But the players who were away on international duty are returning progressively. Today is the first day back for Leon Bailey, Emiliano Martínez, Robin Olsen, and Andres Garcia.

“Of course, they need to quickly reintegrate into our structure, mentality, and style of play. We need to be fully focused on Sunday’s match.

“This week, we’ve been reintegrating the returning players, and we’ve worked well. The key now is to quickly refocus on our objective for the next match. Sunday is very important.”

He added: “Two years ago, we finished the season strongly. We achieved our objective in the final two matches – drawing against Liverpool and beating Brighton at home.

“Last year, however, we ended the season exhausted. We had many injured players, lacked energy, and lost our final match against Crystal Palace away.

“This year, my goal – and the way we’re planning the rest of the season – is to maintain full energy.

“The key to the season is consistency, but every moment is different. Right now, we’re in a new phase, and we have to be very demanding.

“We’ve been below our expectations, our ambition, and the level we need to achieve our goals for the season. We’ve conceded too many goals and have been inconsistent – but not entirely. For example, we haven’t lost many home matches.

“Now, today – Friday, March 28th – is a key moment. It’s about how we approach the final two months of competition. To answer your question, the goal is to be better and stronger defensively, like we were before.”