Unai Emery now exudes optimism. Aston Villa has won seven of its last eight matches and is the upcoming team for the Premier League European match. There may be two more victories and Champions League football next season.
"I'm really excited," Emory told Sky movement. He did not rest while speaking on the club's training ground. "I don't want a holiday right now. I'm really full of energy, and that's the motivation for how we play now, the way we compete." He insisted that it has nothing to do with him.
"It's interesting to me how supporters and players feel right now about where we are. We're behind Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, about eight, nine or 10 points." In fact, in early February, the forest gap was 10.
"But we are getting better and better, reducing the gap. Of course, there are still some games to play, which is not enough." But there are two left, Villa above the forest, only among the top five goals-between Tottenham and Manchester United are coming soon.
"I told the players that we have to enjoy the process and enjoy the game. It's not just about the outcome of the ending. It's about how we perform and how we struggle sometimes. It's also good because these experiences can help us in the future."
Emery often points out painfully the level of competition in the Premier League. When he started listing competitors, it expanded to competitors above them. "I'm at Tottenham," he said. "There are West Ham. They played in Europe and won."
He continued his list. "There are Nottingham Forests. There are Brighton, Fulham and Brentford. They are the usual teams and always try to beat you. I'm here for two and a half years and these teams are always with us when I'm with Aston Villa."
His message is that it is "very, very difficult" to qualify for the Champions League in a back-to-back season - but Villa is not only there, but it seems to be improving. It's not only their recent form, but it's a feeling of club rise that strengthens the squad.
Their campaign complicated their campaign by in-depth Champions League competition, a nine-point goal against Paris Saint-Germain. They went to Wembley in the FA Cup. Still, they found a way to maintain the Premier League drive.
Even when they were ranked fourth last season, they lifted up at the end. Villa failed to win any of the last six games. “We’re tired,” Emory admitted. They were surprisingly - convincingly defeated by the Olympics in the semifinals of the Conference League.
"We are the favorites. But Olympiacos performed better than we did, and they were more focused than we were at the time." Villa struggled to finish fourth, and when they dropped tenth in early March, any hope of repetition disappeared.
"This year is more difficult. In the league, we sometimes struggle, inconsistent. But I think in February and March, when we recovered from some injured players and added other players, we became stronger and felt more confident."
Signature helps the season
These additions in the mid-season transfer window bring new momentum. Andres Garcia and Donyell Malen reached a permanent deal, while high-profile loans from Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi signed Emery's Choice.
Since then, no team has averaged more points per game.
Become a servant.
Nevertheless, this is a test of Emery's management skills. Excluding Ollie Watkins against PSG did not impress the forward. Mullen had to cope with the frustration of the Villa Champions League lineup being ignored, while loan signing was preferred.
“There are rules,” Emory explained. “We have to make decisions in the locker room, be responsible, mature, try to be honest with each player and then try to get the best out of it.” He has done so, which proves Emery and Malen himself.
“As a manager, you sometimes have to know face to face and honestly the best way to get your response. Mullen is a very good professional. He is a very good professional. He hasn’t signed here for six months. He’s signed here and hopefully for a long time.
"Marron is doing a great job. He is playing the alternative, but wow, this season is very important, scoring goals, always having a chance to score, always helping the team in an instant when we need something special, something different."
Although Emery admitted that the conversation with Malen was a difficult one, he laughed at it as a problem. "The problem is when you don't have enough players to play," he replied. "It's the problem. We have this problem."
Villa often has to deal with injuries without a major defender this season at the same time. In midfield, Emery had no Boubacar Kamara until October. Amadou Onana has a hamstring problem. Ross Barkley was out for three months starting in January.
“We played a lot of games in a row with John McGinn and Youri Tielemans. They were tired at the 60 or 70 moments and sometimes we didn’t get our goals because we didn’t have enough players to work hard in exchange for fresh legs, fresh minds to help us.
"Now we have it. I want the question of choosing my 11 players. Are we okay now? I prefer 100% of the mile. Great because I know if I need it during the game, change certain positions, I have players on the bench to make an impact."
Why is the depth of the team the key
Villa actually lost its most influential alternative when Jhon Duran moved to Saudi Arabia in the winter. The Colombia striker proved to be a win goal in three of the first four Premier League games of the season.
But this is now more of an all-round effort, Emery is able to spin and bring more energy to Villa's performance. In Brighton, Asensio and Malen both scored from the bench. In Southampton, in that game, Villa's three scorers were substitutes for the second half.
“It’s a great example of how I can use it with the players when I talk to them in the locker room 10 months ago, six months ago, two months ago, compared to what we are now. They understand the importance of it, they respect it.
"At this moment, everyone is ready to play 90 minutes or 20 minutes. Because we won a lot of games, the players replaced 20 minutes. A lot of games. I can remind the players how many times we did it in the season."
During our conversation, Emery noted that throughout his career, whenever he had the right depth—two players in both positions, tactical flexibility—he was able to achieve his ambitions. Maybe that's why he's so confident.
“I have enough players right now. John McGinn and your Tielemans are both versatile players. They play a lot of games together, but sometimes I can choose another player like Amadou Onana or Boubacar Kamara and they will perform better.
"But then there were players like Marco Asensio, like Jacob Ramsey." He discussed the different weapons that Tielemans and Barkley brought in the same position, one of which was their passes and the other with the ball. "Yes, we have enough players now."
Complete the work now
At that time, exciting moments and Villa had the opportunity to take the next step by showing how competitive he is with the Champions League. "We are improving and playing in Europe for two years. But being consistent is my main challenge here," he said.
This means delivering in the Premier League. “The most important thing for us and me and how we can really improve is to consistently be consistent in the Premier League in 38 games, thus earning the points you need to always be in a European position.
"We are trying to have a clear identity, trying to connect with our supporters with our style, strength and skills. It's very important because I think we need to implement the core of our supporters to get the energy we need."
He talked about the reputational impact of achieving regular Champions League football. “Brands are increasing.” It touched again due to their late thrust. Emory believes that it is becoming increasingly obvious. “Hopefully we can get it again.”
Watch Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur live broadcast, last Friday at 7pm in Sky Sports Premier League. 7.30 pm kick-off. Now stream.