Emery: 'Winning against Arsenal will be the next step'

After defeating Man City in the middle of last week, coach Unai Emery wants Aston Villa to maintain stability and play better when hosting Arsenal in round 16 of the Premier League.

"My challenge is to be better today than yesterday and better tomorrow than today. I will not stop," Emery said on December 8 at a pre-match press conference. "I want tomorrow to be another step forward, against the best club in the Premier League, when Arsenal are at the top of the table. We want to be at this level and compete with the best clubs. The challenge is very difficult but this is also our ambition."

Aston Villa just made a splash when they dominated and beat Man City 1-0, thereby setting a record of 14 consecutive home wins in the Premier League. Aston Villa had 22 shots, 11 more than the defending champions, and successfully won the ball in the final third 13 times.

Coach Unai Emery directs the match between Aston Villa and Man City, 1-0, in round 15 of the Premier League at Villa Park on December 6. Photo: Reuters

With this victory, Emery's team also took third place from Man City with 32 points after 15 rounds, two and four points behind Liverpool and Arsenal respectively. This is Aston Villa's best start to a season since the 1980-1981 season, when they won the English Premier League with 60 points. The following season, they continued to flourish when they won the European Cup 1, with a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the final at De Kuip, Rotterdam.

Emery said Aston Villa played well against Man City, enjoyed the victory with the fans but needed to get back on track and focus on the match against Arsenal. The 52-year-old coach wanted his players to play more consistently, recalling Aston Villa's 2-2 draw at Bournemouth a few days before the win over Man City. He also stressed that Aston Villa can only be considered a candidate to compete for the top 4 if they can maintain their current position until the round of 32.

Today's match at Villa Park is also an opportunity for Emery to meet his old club. He was appointed by Arsenal in late May 2018 as the successor to the legendary Arsene Wenger, who had led the Gunners for more than 23 years - the longest in the club's history. However, the Spanish coach only lasted 17 months and gave up his position to Mikel Arteta - Arsenal's current coach.

In his only full season in charge, Emery took Arsenal to the Europa League final, but lost 4-1 to Chelsea. Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League, were eliminated in the fourth round of the FA Cup and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the League Cup. In total, Emery led Arsenal to 78 games, losing 19, drawing 16 and winning 43 - a rate of 55.13%.

Asked about his time at the Emirates, Emery replied: "I have had experience working in many different clubs and countries, and of course at Arsenal, that is very important. I always try to learn with the players and the coaching staff that I work with. The experiences I have had at Arsenal and other clubs around Europe are very important for me now and in the future."

Aside from reaching the Europa League final, Emery's most notable achievement at Arsenal was giving Bukayo Saka a chance when he was just 18. The English midfielder is now an irreplaceable mainstay and has just set a record as the youngest player to reach 200 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal.

Emery said Arsenal always had players with great potential in the academy and it was his responsibility as manager to try to give them opportunities. The Spaniard praised Saka as a talented, humble player who continues to thrive under Arteta.

Hong Duy

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