Unai Emery was quick to set his sights on next season after Aston Villa's dramatic comeback win against Manchester City on the final day of the Premier League campaign. The victory, which came just days after Villa's Europa League triumph, secured a top-four finish for the second time in three seasons under Emery.
Ollie Watkins scored twice in the second half to overturn Antoine Semenyo's first-half opener, capping a season that Emery described as a rollercoaster. Villa failed to win any of their first six matches in all competitions and failed to score in their opening five league games. However, a run of 11 consecutive victories mid-season was followed by injuries to key players such as Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, and Youri Tielemans, before the team rallied to win silverware and secure Champions League football.
Emery Reflects on the Season
"Outstanding. The performance was outstanding and the reaction was a summary of the season," Emery said. "We started poor and then reacted. Then we struggled again. We recovered our identity and through it we finished beating Liverpool - which was fantastic - and then against Man City."
He added: "The first half we didn't shoot or have offensive corners. We were defending and we were resilient. This is an issue which the team learned during the process which we are here. In the second half we had our moments. We had possession and we were scoring, bringing the result back."
Demands for Next Season
Emery outlined his expectations for the upcoming campaign, emphasising consistency across all competitions. "We are here four years and this is the best season we have done here together. My objective here is to be consistent. We finished in the Champions League and then in sixth. Now we finished fourth and we are being consistent," he said.
"When you compete in Europe and in the Premier League, this is the most difficult challenge you can have. The first priority next season is the Premier League, then the Champions League, then the other cups. We broke this year to win a trophy - it was something we needed."
"Now we are going to increase our demands, trying to get more trophies and be consistent to get the top seven positions for Europe or the Champions League. This is the challenge and how we want to be demanding - the club and the supporters."
Emery also highlighted plans to expand Villa Park's capacity by 8,000 seats, which he believes will help the club continue its upward trajectory. "Next year the club will work to add 8,000 people in the stadium. Hopefully this process will help us to be challenging, always looking forward and up."
