Days after the defeat to Manchester United and Aston Villa fans will still be feeling sore.
It was another nightmare defeat for Aston Villa against Manchester United, and once again, leading 2-0 and losing 3-2. Remember a certain Ruud van Nistelrooy coming off the bench in the FA Cup?!
This one probably hurt more simply because there was an expectancy for the team to win and how poor Erik ten Hag’s side are and have been in recent weeks.
But Patrice Evra was sure to deliver Unai Emery’s side with a bit of a reality check, as he told Amazon Prime.
The former left-back was keen to remind Villa that they are a ‘step ahead’ of where they want to be, but also, expectations are rising, both on the inside and outside, and they now have to ‘handle’ it.
Despite that Boxing Day loss, the Midlands side are still sitting third in the Premier League table and they will remain there if three points are picked up against Burnley on Saturday.
Away from home, things have been indifferent for the side. But the home games have been taking care of themselves and now it’s a case of resuming normal service.
Reaction to Aston Villa’s collapse at Old Trafford
“A team like that when people didn’t expect them to be there and then they play well,” said Evra. “Now we expect them to stay there. That’s when (there is pressure).
“Like Emery said, you have to give them credit because they are a step ahead of where they are supposed to be and what we are expecting them.
“That’s why he wasn’t happy with the question when he said ‘what went wrong?’ He talked about the positives. It’s 39 points. That’s where they are and they should be proud of themselves.
“I can see in the second half. He wasn’t happy. He was frustrated with his players because he wanted them to do more. He wants to take Aston Villa to the Champions League. The football they play, they deserve it. They have to believe in it. They have to handle the pressure. When you are an Aston Villa player, sometimes you play to be in the top ten. But playing for the Champions League, it’s a different pressure”
A strong 2023 for Aston Villa
The game against Burnley will be the final of 2023 and what a positive end, in comparison to, not just 2022, but previous years.
After years out of Europe, the team has made huge strides and are now pushing for Champions League football.
Emery has done an outstanding job, even if the defeat against Man United was an embarrassment.
The bigger picture needs to be looked at and then just taking those small steps again by looking towards the next game and putting three points on the board.
