Unai Emery: Aston Villa will have made it when success feels normal
Unai Emery claims Villa can only consider themselves an elite team when success starts to feel normal.
Villa are riding high in both the Premier League and Champions League, sitting top of the latter table after winning their first three matches back in Europe’s premier club competition.
But the ever-demanding Emery believes there is still some way to go before they can be regarded as serious contenders for silverware and thinks they will have only truly made it when their achievements so far this season stop feeling special.
Villa beat Bayern Munich earlier this month in the Champions League and sit fourth in the Premier League ahead of this afternoon’s visit of Bournemouth.
But Emery does not believe they are even among the favourites for a top-seven finish.
He said: “This is our challenge and my objective. Try to play with consistency. I try to play with consistency in the Champions League.
“This is the demand I am trying to impose on myself, and with the club and players.”
He added: “We have to try and keep it, like it is something natural. When the biggest teams are playing to win and getting it is when you can feel stronger.
“I feel the same as when we started the season. We are not a contender or favourite to be in the top seven.
“The favourites are clearly there. You know those teams. Of course, if we are being consistent, being demanding - and we are more or less showing it, we can get in the top seven, top five and top four.”
Villa played 56 matches last season as they finished fourth in the Premier League and reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
Emery expects them to play even more this time around with today’s game their third of seven in the space of 21 days.
The manager has warned his players there can be no let-up after identifying last month’s 2-2 draw at Ipswich as a moment they let their standards slip.
He said: M”y method is always try to be positive, improve, analyse deeply each match, and to correct it: Individually, collectively, and even criticising myself so I respond when I am not doing well.
“After Ipswich, we beat Bayern and drew with Man Utd. Against Man Utd, we played a little bit tired maybe in some things – mentally, energy, even maybe physically. But we played as I want.
“Even when we lost against Arsenal at home, we played like I want.
“At Ipswich it was different. We didn’t play there like I want. But we corrected it and the players responded very well. We played very well in the next games and then after the international break we beat Fulham and Bologna.
“Now my concern is how we are going to respond tomorrow after those matches, playing as to the demands I have.
“This is the objective I have tomorrow: full energy, focus 100 per cent, try to play each one physically strongly, and try to play imposing our style on them, while respecting them.”