Aston Villa drew 0-0 with Manchester United on Sunday in their last match before the October international break.
Unai Emery’s side have been in fine form lately, highlighted by their 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek.
They fully deserved to be favourites for the United game but an underwhelming performance meant they were unable to break down their opponents.
Still, it was not a bad result for the Villans in their quest to qualify for European competition for the second year running.
The only concern for Villa fans might be that the international break disrupts their season slightly. Here are Emery’s thoughts.
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Unai Emery on upcoming international break
Emery gave his verdict on the match and ended with a statement on whether the international break would be welcomed by his side.
“It’s not a bad result, playing at home here, but it’s not the best. How we played, I think the draw is fair for both teams. Maybe in the second half, we controlled more than them, but also they hit the crossbar,” he told Sky Sports.
“Maybe it’s because we have some players injured. Bailey is getting better but he’s not completely fit. Some other players are also getting better. This is the idea we have.
“We are in the process of building a team. Ross Barkley played 90 minutes for us. We are managing things better. I am happy. We could be better in the table but we are more or less in the top six and I am happy with what we are doing.
“The international break will be good for rest.”
Aston Villa’s injury list after Man Utd draw
Villa were without five players for the match against Man Utd: Tyrone Mings, Andre Onana, Jacob Ramsey, John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara.
Mings and Kamara, who both suffered ACL injuries last season, played for Villa’s academy in the Premier League 2 on Saturday.
This suggests that they are just lacking match sharpness and should be ready to play for the first team after the international break.
Onana and Ramsey should also be back in a fortnight as they are not thought to have significant problems.
John McGinn’s availability for the trip to Craven Cottage is unknown, as he is recovering from a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa had to leave the pitch against United on Sunday and the extent of the damage will not be clear until a later date.
