Aston Villa told to sack Unai Emery after scenes at Wembley – ‘Disgraceful’
Aston Villa’s season has unravelled in recent weeks, and their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Crystal Palace was a particularly low point.
Unai Emery’s side were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace at Wembley, which ended their hopes of a trophy this season.
Aston Villa had a great opportunity to reach the final as they faced a Palace team five places below them in the Premier League, but they were second best from start to finish.
This means that Emery is still yet to bring silverware to Villa Park in his two and a half years in the Midlands, and fans are now unhappy.
Aston Villa fans fume at Emery after Palace defeat
Emery joined Villa in October 2022, and has transformed the club’s fortunes as he brought them back to the Champions League, but he got it badly wrong at Wembley.
Fans are frustrated with his tactics which has led to defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City in recent weeks, and the performance against Palace was one of the worst this season.
| Opponent | Result |
| Newcastle | 4-1 W |
| Manchester City | 2-1 L |
| Crystal Palace | 3-0 L |
Emery has now been heavily criticised, with his negative tactics and poor team selections called out, and the former Arsenal and Villarreal manager has lost a lot of goodwill with sections of the fanbase.
Emery has transformed Villa despite errors
Emery has had a transformative effect on Villa since he arrived. The Villains were 14th and three points above the relegation zone when his appointment was confirmed, and they are now competing at a much higher level.
Villa are now seventh and are still likely to finish in the European spots, although a place in the top five looks unlikely.
Nevertheless, despite Emery’s flaws and his frustrations, those who want the Basque manager out at Villa are a minority, and most Villa fans back him to eventually succeed at the club.
Villa have invested heavily during Emery’s tenure, and have brought in high-profile stars such as Marcus Rashford, with the club clearly showing ambition but fans would like to see more next season after a disastrous month has ended this campaign badly.
The FA Cup may have been Emery’s best chance at silverware in his time at Villa Park given that there is just one ‘big six’ side left in the competition, and fans are right to be aggrieved even if they do still believe in the 53-year-old.