Andy Gray hits out at ‘Staggering’ Aston Villa developments with Emery ‘ego’
Aston Villa took a step closer to finishing in the top five of the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over Brentford on Saturday.
The Villans have seen their Premier League form take a dip this season as they try to manage the demands of playing in the Champions League too.
However, victory over the Bees puts Unai Emery’s side seventh in the table, with just two points separating them from Manchester City who are fifth.
Andy Gray hits out at Emery in Premier League assessment
Aston Villa have been unable to consistently perform at the same level they showed they were capable of last season.
However, with an increased number of games thanks to the Champions League, as well as getting through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, Emery has certainly had more to manage.
While Saturday’s victory was putting things right in the Premier League, the West Midlands outfit have now won three consecutive games in all competitions.
This includes a 3-1 victory away at Club Brugge last Tuesday (4 March) which puts them in a favourable position ahead of the second leg to reach the Champions League quarter finals.
Nevertheless, Villa came under criticism on beIN Sports (9 March) with Andy Gray saying: “I think Villa have been pre-occupied.
“I think it’s been such a long time because you know what it’s like in that neck up there, so do I. They still remember that glorious year when they won the European Cup as it was then, they’ve had such a long time since they’ve been in it.
“Emery’s got such a good record as a coach in Europe and I think they have taken their eye off the ball in the Premier League.
“When I think about some of the performances, some of the points they’ve dropped this season, it’s staggering.”
Co-presenters Richard Keys and Jason McAteer went on to agree with Gray with the latter suggesting that the boss enjoys a European campaign to boost his ego.
Keys replied: “I agree, I think he likes a European campaign.”
As McAteer doubled down arguing: “It’s their ego, it’s their ego”, Gray agreed by simply responding: “Correct.”
Unai Emery on track with Aston Villa
Although Aston Villa’s Premier League form may have dropped slightly this season, suggestions that it is down to the manager’s ego seem quite unfair.
The Villans have certainly struggled to deliver consistently but as it stands, they are still very much in the running to get another European finish this term which is exactly what they would want.
| Team | Position | Played | Goal difference | Points |
| Manchester City | 5 | 28 | 15 | 47 |
| Brighton | 6 | 28 | 6 | 46 |
| Aston Villa | 7 | 29 | -4 | 45 |
Not only that, but the boss has got his side in a comfortable position in their Champions League round of 16 tie as well as looking ahead to an FA Cup quarter-final against Championship opposition.
Therefore, with all things considered, the season isn’t actually looking too bad for Villa at this moment in time, who have a real chance of winning a trophy and putting themselves back in contention for Europe next term.
Emery is one of the best around with plenty of experience in European football, which has paid off massively at Villa, who won’t care about any outside noise.