The new Premier League season is about to kick off, and Villa manager Unai Emery, speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the opening game against West Ham, has said that Villa will be competitive on all four fronts: Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, and League Cup. However, Emery admitted that there are seven teams in the Premier League who are stronger than Villa.
Emery is very much looking forward to the new season, “We will be playing in the Champions League, which is a great motivation for the team, after all, it’s the best tournament in the world. We will try to be competitive, and we are also very much looking forward to the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the League Cup.”
But Emery was honest about the fact that Villa cannot replicate last season’s top-four finish, “Last season we finished fourth in the Premier League, but we are not strong contenders for the top four this season, even getting fifth is a luxury. There are seven teams who are more competitive than us, but we have to face the competition.”
Emery then named the seven teams he believes are more competitive than Villa, including Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Newcastle.
Talking about the specific goals for the Champions League, Emery said, “Three years ago, I got to the Champions League semi-final with Villarreal, and now I will try to do the same with Villa. I don’t know if we can reach the quarter-finals or the semi-finals, but we have to show our competitiveness. We will be facing the best teams in the world in every game, and the players have to raise their standards.”
Regarding the team’s core player, Morgan Rogers, Emery hopes he can continue his performance from last season, “He helped us qualify for the Champions League, and he needs to keep improving. I hope he can maintain a high level of performance for a long time. He is a good example for the team, but of course, he needs to maintain a very good attitude.”
In the first round of the Premier League, Villa will face West Ham. Emery didn’t hold back in his praise for the opponent, “Although they don’t have European qualification this season, their goal is the same as ours last season, which is to finish in the top seven. The new season is about to start, and we are all very excited and motivated. After all, the Premier League is the toughest league in the world, and after the top seven teams, including West Ham, Everton, Fulham, Bournemouth, Brighton, can all bring surprises.”
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