Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking ahead of the trip to West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.
The Spaniard will be looking to maintain his side’s bounce-back ability. They have yet to suffer back-to-back defeats in the Premier League this season.
Villa produced an excellent midweek performance to blow Ajax away and set up a quarter-final clash against Lille.
Emery, known for his attention to finer detail, has admitted he must be more “clinical” in every tactical decision.
Unai Emery sends message to two Aston Villa players
Per Aston Villa’s official website, the Spaniard started his press conference by praising David Moyes’ team, who are also competing in Europe this season.
“They are being consistent, and they are being successful in Europe – last year they won the Conference League,” he said. In the league, they are being consistent and contenders to try and be in the top seven teams.”
On Sunday’s fixture, Emery added: “Sunday is very important for us and for them as well. We’re going to respect them a lot. It’s a big challenge for us to keep being consistent away, to keep being focused in each competition and trying to get the best performances.”
The Spaniard also admitted that he needs to be cut-throat with some of his decisions. “My objective is to recover with the players and prepare as best as possible for the match on Sunday and to be competitive on Sunday because the only way to win there is being competitive,” he said. “I also need to be clinical in every decision I take tactically.”
The Spaniard also sent a clear message to Ollie Watkins and to his £12million teammate Ezri Konsa, with the two players set to represent England next week. “The players have to be ready, always being professional: playing matches, recovering, being intelligent,” he said.
“Playing next week in the break with their national teams, we have a lot of players. Some are debuting in Europe this year, but they are playing in their national teams too – for example, Watkins and Konsa.”
Can Aston Villa bounce back?
This side have repeatedly shown that they’re capable of bouncing back, and that shouldn’t change at the London Stadium.
Villa must look to exploit the Hammers’ inconsistency this season, particularly at home. The status of Ollie Watkins’ fitness is the main talking point. If the 28-year-old isn’t available, Jhon Duran could be given a run in the side.
The Colombian’s cameo against Ajax was certainly full-throttle, giving the Villa Park faithful a taste of what he could produce in a claret and blue shirt. Facing a reasonably inconsistent West Ham side could be an excellent place to start for the 20-year-old.
