Unai Emery throws down the gauntlet to his Aston Villa players to prove they are title contenders – as he admits he doubted their ‘mentality’ after draw with Ipswich
- Unai Emery urged Aston Villa to prove their mettle in their clash with Bournemouth
- The Villans had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Ipswich last month
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Unai Emery has challenged Aston Villa to prove they are real winners by keeping pace with the Premier League title contenders this weekend.
Villa is four points behind leaders Liverpool after an excellent start to the season, both at home and in Europe. Their victory over Bologna on Tuesday puts Villa at the top of the updated Champions League table and optimism among supporters is sky high ahead of Saturday’s match against Bournemouth at Villa Park.
Yet Emery was so disturbed by Villa’s attitude in the 2–2 draw against Ipswich on 29 September that he read the riot act to the players and left them in no doubt that he will not tolerate a repeat.
“The greatest teams and players approach every game looking to win it,” Emery said. ‘If your own team does the same, you can feel stronger.
‘You have to demand from the players that they constantly improve their mentality. We have some examples here. At Ipswich I had some doubts whether we showed the mentality I want.
Unai Emery has urged his players to prove their status as title contenders when they face Bournemouth
Aston Villa have had a strong start to the season and currently sit at the top of the Champions League table
But Emery admitted he doubted his side’s resolve as Ipswich were held to a draw
‘I have spoken to the players about this a lot and I don’t want to repeat it. We can win, draw or lose, but we have to play to win and show how hungry we are.”
Emery is approaching his two-year anniversary as Villa boss – a remarkable period in which he has transformed the club. Emery struggled when he took over from Steven Gerrard and has turned Villa into one of the best sides in the country.
He added: “Hopefully we continue to improve. My first demand was to play in Europe again, and I achieved that. My second was winning a trophy.”