When Aston Villa faced Viking in the Champions League, a giant tifo reading 'We've Conquered Before. We're Prepared For More' unfurled from Villa Park's Holte End, while Unai Emery received a standing ovation on the touchline. The moment marked four years since Emery's appointment from Villarreal, a transformative period for one of football's great old institutions.
Emery has written his name into Villa Park history, adding to a track record at the club and elsewhere that marks him as one of the game's elite operators. That quality showed in an emphatic 3-1 victory over Viking. Villa Park's mood was buoyant and expectant, restored to the optimism that followed last season's Europa League triumph, which came after a campaign that returned the club to the Champions League.
The summer brought significant upheaval. Six of the starters who beat Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul in May departed, including Emiliano Martinez, Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans, Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Morgan Rogers. Rogers and Konsa moved to Arsenal and Chelsea for a combined £172m, with Villa raking in about £320m overall. A slow start, including defeats to Brighton and Arsenal, raised concerns before the club found form with wins at Spurs, Fenerbahce and Newcastle United.
Emery was elated as Villa prepare to face Premier League leaders Manchester City at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime. "Those three points fills us with confidence," he said, looking ahead to demanding fixtures against Barcelona and Galatasaray. He described his side's transition into "Villa 2.0" and stressed the need to keep improving, adding: "I am so, so happy but we must keep moving forward with the challenges we are going to face."
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing