Aston Villa have endured the most difficult period of the Unai Emery era and many of their players will agree with that sentiment.
Aston Villa host Brentford on Wednesday night, looking to end their eight-match winless run in all competitions.
Unai Emery’s men were disappointing in the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday, as while Ollie Watkins missed two gilt-edged chances, the visitors were carved open at will.
Emery’s defence has been a huge problem this term, shipping a concerning 22 goals in 13 matches, with the Villans needing to improve in that department.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 12 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 22 | -3 | 19 |
It was hoped the return of Boubacar Kamara, who has recovered from February’s ACL injury, would have inspired increased defensive protection.
Kamara ran the show against Juventus last week, as Villa kept another Champions League clean sheet, while the visit to Stamford Bridge saw the midfield get overrun.
Since coming back into the starting XI, the Frenchman has shown why he’s been missed after what he describes as his ‘most difficult’ period.
What Boubacar Kamara has found ‘most difficult’ at Aston Villa
Kamara has quickly gone from being injured to recovering and now playing regular first-team football at the highest level.
It’s been almost 10 months since he suffered that season-ending injury against Manchester United, but the 25-year-old has remarkably returned to the lineup like he’d never left.
Yet, even a player of Kamara’s calibre has found the period of stepping back into the firing line ‘most difficult’, as he explains to Aston Villa’s official website.
“The most difficult [period] is the first two months, because you can’t work, you can’t do anything, so after this, it’s fine.
“But when you come back with the team, it’s difficult because you don’t have a good preparation.
“After eight months, my body needed a few weeks of adaptation. Now, I feel good. I enjoy, and I hope I can continue like this.”
What Unai Emery has said about Kamara’s return
Kamara is a crucial player in Emery’s fast and frenetic system, as he’s the shield in front of the defence whose primary purpose is to recycle possession and win it back.
Last season, Kamara’s partnership with Douglas Luiz was instrumental to Villa’s success, and now the manager has spoken highly about his progression at Villa Park.
“When he got injured last year, I think he was in his best moment in his progression here,” Emery told Sky Sports.
“But his comeback has really been strong. We watched him on Wednesday playing at a really good level and really playing like he has not been injured for eight months. It’s a very good impact.
“Of course, he was a very important player before his injury and now he’s coming again, being a very important player for us.”
Villa may be in awful form at the moment but Kamara is one of many players who can help get them fighting for Champions League football once more.
