Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has set his sights on turning the club’s recent Champions League success into a long-term legacy. Following a remarkable start to the season, which includes a famous victory over Bayern Munich in their opening Champions League fixture, Emery is determined to ensure this is not a fleeting moment but a defining chapter in Villa’s history.
The Spaniard, renowned for his European pedigree having won the Europa League four times and led Villarreal to the Champions League semi-finals, is aiming to establish Villa as a permanent fixture among Europe’s elite. Villa’s last Champions League experience was back in 1983, and they haven’t won a trophy since 1996. But Emery’s arrival has ushered in a new era of ambition and success.
“I don’t want to waste my time here, that is my message,” Emery stated ahead of their upcoming Champions League clash against Bologna. “My objective here is to keep the same level we have now, Champions League and add more to be contenders for titles. We want to achieve the objectives and one of them is to play in the Champions League. It is not about playing there only because of some circumstances — I want to us to stay there for a long time.”
With a convincing win over Bologna, Villa could secure their place in the Champions League play-off round with five games to spare. Their impressive form has seen them rise above the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham, and Manchester United in the Premier League table, all of whom they defeated to secure a top-four finish last season.
Emery’s unwavering ambition has resonated with the Villa squad. “In the last four years since I joined, the club has just gone through the roof, the quality in every single department has gone up and the club has not got a ceiling,” said defender Matty Cash, who is set to make his Champions League debut after recovering from injury. “I think it can go all the way to the top. You can see now playing Champions League football has been a building block to get here and the manager has been a big part of that to get us here.”
As Villa embark on this exciting new chapter, they are poised to make a significant mark on both the Premier League and the Champions League under the guidance of their ambitious manager, Unai Emery.