Unai Emery has revealed that Aston Villa are not considered top-five contenders for the Premier League title, but he is "dreaming" of winning the Europa League after reaching the last 16. The Spanish manager warned his team after their 1-0 loss to Everton on Sunday that they had a lot of work to do if they wanted to finish in the top four.
Villa's run to the Europa League last 16 has been impressive, with 20 wins from their past 25 matches across all competitions. However, Emery believes that winning the competition would be their only hope for securing Champions League football next season if they fail to secure a top-four finish in the league.
Emery won the Europa League four times as manager of Villarreal in 2021 and has a reputation for success in the competition. He told TNT Sports after Villa's victory over Fenerbahce that he was "so, so happy" with his team's response to the competition and praised their ability to respect the tournament.
Jadon Sancho scored his first goal for Aston Villa in the 1-0 win over Fenerbahce, and Emery praised his player after the match. Sancho has been instrumental in Villa's success this season and is expected to play a key role in their European campaign.
Emery said that having a manager who backs his players can make all the difference and believes that he has a good relationship with his squad. He also expressed his desire to win the Europa League and secure Champions League football for Aston Villa next season.
With 12 matches remaining in the league phase, Villa still have plenty of work to do if they want to secure a top-four finish. However, Emery remains optimistic about their chances and believes that winning the Europa League would be a great reward for his team's efforts this season.
Villa's run to the Europa League last 16 has been impressive, with 20 wins from their past 25 matches across all competitions. However, Emery believes that winning the competition would be their only hope for securing Champions League football next season if they fail to secure a top-four finish in the league.
Emery won the Europa League four times as manager of Villarreal in 2021 and has a reputation for success in the competition. He told TNT Sports after Villa's victory over Fenerbahce that he was "so, so happy" with his team's response to the competition and praised their ability to respect the tournament.
Jadon Sancho scored his first goal for Aston Villa in the 1-0 win over Fenerbahce, and Emery praised his player after the match. Sancho has been instrumental in Villa's success this season and is expected to play a key role in their European campaign.
Emery said that having a manager who backs his players can make all the difference and believes that he has a good relationship with his squad. He also expressed his desire to win the Europa League and secure Champions League football for Aston Villa next season.
With 12 matches remaining in the league phase, Villa still have plenty of work to do if they want to secure a top-four finish. However, Emery remains optimistic about their chances and believes that winning the Europa League would be a great reward for his team's efforts this season.
theyve gone from 20th place to europa league last 16 thats crazy! but im not sure if winning the europa league is really their only hope for champs league spot next season isnt that kinda setting them up for a fall if they dont make top four? still tho sancho scored his first goal and emery seems super happy with the squad i guess having a manager who backs players can make a big difference 
emerys gotta mean somethin' right? 20 wins in 25 matches is insane 
. sancho's on fire though 
hope he keeps it up and villa gets that top four spot 
. And let's be real, Sancho's goal over Fenerbahce was just a flash in the pan... mark my words, he'll drop off once the pressure mounts 
. This whole thing reeks of management trying to keep the fans distracted while they're getting creamed by their competitors behind the scenes 
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Emery is "dreaming" of winning the Europa League? More like he's just dreaming... of being able to get Aston Villa out of 4th place 
! Maybe Emery should just focus on getting his team to score more than one goal per game? 
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. I mean, come on, we have some of the most talented people on this platform sharing their expertise, but can't we just give them a more comfy reading experience? 
But seriously, Emery's got some realistic expectations here. Europa League's their best bet for Champions League football next season, which is still a massive achievement. Sancho's been a game-changer for them, and it's great to see him scoring his first goal. 
But let's be real, they've still got 12 matches left in the league phase... that's a lot of work ahead of 'em! 
Still, I love Emery's positivity and focus on winning the Europa League – it's like he's saying, "Hey guys, we may not make it to the top four, but we're gonna crush it in Europe!" 
Can't wait to see how they do in the next round!
Emery seems like a really down-to-earth guy who genuinely cares about his players, you can tell he's got their backs. If they can keep this momentum going, maybe they'll surprise everyone and make a top-four push in the league. That'd be epic for Villa fans, wouldn't it? 
. And Jadon Sancho's goal was sweet! He's definitely a game-changer for Villa. Still, 12 matches to go and they're still in this... fingers crossed for them 
, and it's so cool to see Unai Emery leading them to success 
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but I think Aston Villa is actually doing pretty well under Emery, 20 wins from 25 matches across all competitions? That's impressive! 
️ I think Villa is doing pretty well considering their position in the league 
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. He's got a good track record with that trophy 
. And yeah, he's got that Europa League rep from his Villarreal days, so I trust him to know what he's doing. 
The squad seems pretty happy and confident with him as their gaffer too 
. We'll see how it all plays out, but I'm rooting for Villa to do well! 
. And hey, at least Jadon Sancho got to score a goal 
. I mean, 1-0 win is nothing to sneeze at, but Emery's comments about not being top-five contenders in the league just got me thinking...back in my day, we didn't even have the Europa League, so to think about how big of a deal it is now is pretty wild 
. I'm keeping an eye on them, though - they're still in with a shot at top four 
... I mean, Emery's all smiles about his team's progress, but what's the real plan here? They're still in a tough spot in the league phase with 12 matches to go. Winning the Europa League is just gonna have to be their consolation prize