View: Unai Emery 2023 Aston Villa to-do list
Make no mistake about it, 2023 is a pivotal year for Aston Villa and Unai Emery.
The Spaniard joined a sinking ship in the West Midlands after the sacking of Steven Gerrard, and although he has temporarily boarded up the leaks with wins over Manchester United and Brighton, a long journey remains to take Villa back to European football.
Currently sitting twelfth in the Premier League, Emery has a big 12 months ahead of him, with several key areas on his to-do list if the club are to take the necessary strides forward.
Captaincy dilemma
As Emery gets to grips with his new squad, he may well look to change the captaincy from John McGinn, who has struggled for form since taking up the reins.
With Gerrard previously stripping Tyrone Mings of the role in the summer and claiming he needed to focus on his football, the never-ending debate seems to have reared its head once more.
There are no shortage of options for Emery to pick from, with World Cup hero Emi Martinez, stalwart Ashley Young, or a return to Mings still on the cards. After the six-week hiatus, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see the Spanish manager nail his colours to the flag and name a new captain.
Transfers
This is obvious to state, but Villa’s hierarchy must allow Emery to chop and change the squad however he deems fit. He has inherited a squad brimming with potential, but a number of players have ultimately been underperforming in a Claret and Blue shirt.
The Spaniard is no fool and will have already made plans to offload personnel in the January transfer window and have his scouts doing their due diligence on potential replacements.
A proven centre-forward will be among Emery’s top targets in January, with the misfiring Ollie Watkins not at his best this season and Danny Ings resigned to a spot on the bench for the majority of his stint in the Villa Park dugout.
Steeliness
For far too long, Aston Villa have had a rather soft underbelly.
On their day, the West Midlands outfit can compete with the very best teams in the league, but far too often, they roll over and succumb to pressure far too easily. The 3-1 loss to Liverpool was a prime example of this weakness flaring up, as although bright for large portions of the game, they conceded two silly goals from set-pieces and failed to take their own chances.
There were signs of what Emery wants to instil at Villa before the World Cup, as he side gritted out an ugly 2-1 win on the south coast against Brighton. More of that, please, Unai and Aston Villa will see a remarkable turn in their fortunes.
Confidence
As mentioned previously, a number of Emery’s squad have been performing well-below par in the last 18 months, and the Spaniard must give the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Watkins his vote of confidence in order to see a return to form.
Coutinho has been a shadow of his former self this campaign – failing to register a goal or an assist in 13 appearances – but showed glimmers of his undoubted quality last term, scoring five goals and providing three assists after his move in January.
Alongside Emi Buendia, the two attacking players have struggled to cement their places in the starting XI, and Emery must try and get both big-money signings fully firing once more.
Develop the youth
Aston Villa has one of the most prestigious academies in the country, and it seems to be producing a Golden Generation of talent in the last five years.
The likes of Jacob Ramsey, Cameron Archer, Arjan Raijky and 16-year-old Kadan Young have all burst onto the scene recently and proven there is a clear path for many of the club’s brightest prospects to rise the ranks to great effect.
Emery was renowned for work with the academy Arsenal, giving both Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe their first team debuts, and he will need to nurture the likes of Young without losing him to greener pastures – much like Carney Chukwuemeka, who joined Chelsea for £20 million in the summer.
The treatment of Archer is of paramount importance, with Preston manager Ryan Lowe speaking openly about his desire to snap up the striker on loan. If he isn’t going to feature ahead of Watkins to Ings, the club should look for potential loan suitors. [BBC Sport]
In other Aston Villa news, Rachel Daly and Kenza Dali have shone for the Women’s side, but the goalscoring burden must be taken off their shoulders in the second half of the season.