Unai Emery to get welcome Aston Villa respite, it’s much needed
The upcoming international break is arriving at the perfect time for Aston Villa.
Unai Emery’s side have stumbled as of late, with their 2-0 loss away at Wolves followed up by a heavy 4-1 defeat to Chelsea at Villa Park.
Injuries have not helped Aston Villa across the last month, with both John McGinn and Youri Tielemans sidelined alongside Boubacar Kamara, while Douglas Luiz has looked a shadow of the player who once bossed the midfield for Emery.
The Villans face Lille in the Europa League on Thursday, before they welcome West Ham to the Midlands on Sunday.
With Tielemans and McGinn expected to return to fitness in the coming weeks, the international break comes at the perfect time for Villa.
Aston Villa midfield duo will make a big difference
After looking nailed on for a Champions League finish at the top of 2026, Villa’s form has continued to dip, before recent results have seen them dragged into a race with Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Tielemans and captain McGinn will make a huge difference upon their respective returns, particularly the former, who is often the source of creativity and control in the middle of the park for Emery.
Against Wolves in particular, Villa looked laboured in possession, with no real creativity.
Emery’s side were too predictable, with Wolves’ back three sweeping up the majority of hopeful balls into the area with relative ease.
The same can be said against Chelsea, with the Blues dominating Villa from the off – thanks to the duo of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, alongside Reece James, who continues in the middle under Liam Rosenior.
With the non-stop energy of McGinn also returning, Villa will be much more comfortable in possession, while the Scotsman himself is capable of creating moments from nothing with his ability to drive with the ball.
Another reason why international break is well-timed for Villa
While it can be a footballing cliché that can be spun either way regarding the timing of a break, the upcoming period does arrive at a perfect time for Villa.
Not only does it allow two of their key players extra time to get back up to fitness, it gives Villa ample time to reset after the recent poor run.
Villa were once nailed on for Champions League football, but they have completely lost momentum since the turn of the year.
With key players coming back, Villa can reset and go again following the break.
If they are able to hit their stride in the Europa League alongside this, this would only be a plus as Emery’s side look to regain that momentum heading into the season’s crunch point.
While the match against West Ham is crucial, the break that follows will be massive for the Villans.
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