Paul Merson makes ‘unbelievable’ Aston Villa admission Sky Sports host didn’t expect to hear
Paul Merson has hailed the “unbelievable” turnaround by Aston Villa and has suggested they are the biggest threat to Arsenal winning the title.
Villa beat Brighton 4-3 in a crazy game at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday to move into third place in the Premier League.
While Villa’s win over Brighton was not without controversy, and indeed its nervy moments late on, Unai Emery‘s men showed incredible spirit to fight back from two goals down.
Emery raised eyebrows over his Villa team selection and that told when a Jan Paul van Hecke goal and Pau Torres’ own goal put the hosts two goals ahead inside half an hour.
But Ollie Watkins showed class is permanent with two goals before half-time, before Amadou Onana and Donyell Malen completed the four-goal swing, rendering Hecke’s second goal a mere consolation.
Merson was certainly impressed by what he saw on the South Coast, with Villa now welcoming leaders Arsenal to Villa Park in their next game.
Arsenal title credentials to be tested at Villa Park
Villa have 27 points from 14 matches, which is one less than second-placed Manchester City and six fewer than Arsenal.
Saturday’s clash really is massive at the top of the table, then, as Arsenal face another test of their title credentials.
Speaking on Sky Sports News on Wednesday night, Merson said he find’s it “unbelievable” how Villa have turned things around after a slow start.
“Villa can blow the title race wide open,” Merson added.
Host Simon Thomas interjected as he said: “We didn’t expect to say that a few weeks ago.”
Merson then went on to hail the work of Emery, saying: “He’s a good manager. He improves players and makes them better.
“Now it’s a big test for Arsenal. If they get through that game, I can’t see anyone else touching them.”
Saturday’s match at Villa Park is the early kickoff at 12:30pm.
How Unai Emery has masterminded Aston Villa’s turnaround
Villa were down in 18th place not so long ago after a slow start, but they are now very much the in-form team as they have won four in a row in the league.
Emery is now Villa’s most successful Premier League manager ever, with the Spaniard tinkering with his side slightly to ensure the slow start was quickly forgotten about.
| Position | Team | Games | GD | Points |
| 1 | Arsenal | 14 | 20 | 33 |
| 2 | Man City | 14 | 16 | 28 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 14 | 6 | 27 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 14 | 10 | 24 |
As Danny Murphy told BBC, the key to the turnaround is perhaps as simple as Emery simply remaining calm when things weren’t going right earlier in the campaign.
Emery constantly finds solutions to any issues and he has the ability to adapt in-game, which may sound simple but is essentially where he earns his money.
Long may it continue, with fans already now buzzing for the visit of leaders Arsenal in a couple of days’ time.
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