Aston Villa: ‘Absolutely ridiculous’ Unai Emery claim rubbished
We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton has defended Unai Emery for sticking with his style of play away from home despite Aston Villa’s troubles on the road this season.
Villa lost 2-0 away at Nottingham Forest on Sunday (5 November), squandering a chance to move into third position in the Premier League.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2 about the game, ex-Villa striker called Emery’s high line “absolutely ridiculous”, saying that the Spaniard is causing issues for his side.
However, Hutton doesn’t buy that and believes that Emery has every right to stick to his philosophy no matter where they play or who they play against.
“Nottingham Forest’s first goal comes from the high line. They break down the left and the ball ultimately comes from the second phase. Zaniolo switches off and Aina gets the goal. But that’s the way they play,” Hutton told Villa News.
“I’ve worked with Dion Dublin before and I respect his opinion but ultimately, that’s the way the manager plays. Ange Postecoglou plays that way [at Tottenham] and he’s not going to change for anybody.
“Emi Martinez never makes mistakes but the one time he did it put the game beyond reach so the thing for Villa to sort out moving forward and being challengers for the top four is their away form.
“At home, they’ve been brilliant but their away form is mostly defeats. But that won’t change the way they play football. They’ll play with a high line.”
Aston Villa have the best home record in the Premier League this season with five wins in five games and 20 goals.
However, away from B6 in the league, they have two wins, one draw and three defeats.
The Villans have also lost away against Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League.
In other Aston Villa news, a £50million transfer claim has been made about Douglas Luiz amid recent speculation.