Unai Emery on Sunday insisted Aston Villa would not win the English Premier League, but the Spaniard’s ecstatic celebration of Morgan Rogers’ decisive strike against Manchester United revealed his true feelings about their surprise title charge.
Usually a composed figure on the touchline, Emery put his emotions on display for all to see after Rogers produced his second fine finish of the afternoon to clinch a pulsating 2-1 win at Villa Park.
The England midfielder’s 57th-minute goal prompted Emery to roar in delight before ripping off his jacket and hurling it into the air.
Photo: Reuters
It was a fascinating insight into Emery’s mindset in the midst of Villa’s remarkable 10-match winning run in all competitions.
Villa sit third in the Premier League, just three points adrift of leaders Arsenal and one behind second-placed Manchester City as they chase a first English title since 1980-1981.
As he has in the past when Villa have flirted with title contention, Emery preferred to play the underdog, claiming his team cannot overhaul clubs of Arsenal and City’s experience and quality, despite beating them both at home already this season.
“We are not contender,” Emery said. “Of course we beat Arsenal and Manchester City here, but they have massive things tactically with players on a high level. We have as well, but to be a contender in front of them is not our reality.”
However, Emery’s coy approach to Villa’s growing title momentum cannot obscure the facts.
Villa are on their best winning run in all competitions since 1914, when they secured 11 successive victories.
They have won seven consecutive top-flight matches for the first time since finishing second under Graham Taylor in 1989-1990.
Emery has turned Villa Park into a fortress, with just one home league defeat this calendar year, fewer than any other team.
Villa’s rise into the title race is even more impressive as it comes after their worst start to a league campaign for 28 years, featuring just two points and one goal scored in their opening five matches.
“Of course we are being consistent in more or less three years, and getting into European positions, but we must continue to be humble,” Emery said. “Understanding how we can get points like we did. We want to keep the same level by being intelligent, competitive, consistent and demanding.”
When Villa return to action after Christmas Day, they face two trips to London that would serve as defining moments in their season.
They meet fourth-placed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday before a seismic clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium three days later.
If Villa are to maintain their title bid, Emery will have to coax more eye-catching performances from Rogers, whose first-half opener was a sublime curler into the top corner from just inside the penalty area.
“The manager’s a genius. He knows what he is doing and knows how to get out of situations,” Rogers said. “The enthusiasm and the way he is gets through to us, then we have that belief and that buzz to our performances. That is what he tries to do and we try and take it on board. It’s a perfect combination.”
Emery returned the compliment, saying: “He’s a fantastic guy. A fantastic player, because he loves football. He loves work.”
But Emery revealed he had given Rogers a reality check at halftime in a bid to raise his game to even greater heights.
“At halftime I was not happy with him because I am ambitious myself. He scored a good goal, but he was not performing very well,” he said. “We spoke about individually increasing our focus to get better and in the second half we did much better.”
As Rogers knows better than most, Emery’s relentless quest for perfection is the driving force behind Villa’s bid for an incredible title triumph.
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