Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was happy with the improvement shown by his team in our 3-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday.
Villa fell behind early on after Raul Jimenez headed home from a corner, and naturally amid our poor start to the season, that would have added to the concern around Villa Park despite our win over Bologna in midweek.
READ MORE: Five key talking points as Villa get back to winning ways vs Bologna
Fortunately, Ollie Watkins produced a quality finish to bring us back into the game before half-time, and Villa produced a stirring start to the second half as goals from John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia flipped the game firmly in our favour.
It’s hoped that we can keep building on this moving forward as we’re starting to score goals and get positive results, and although there is clearly still plenty of room for improvement, it’s a starting point in getting back on the right path.
Unsurprisingly, Emery was pleased with what he saw as we’re not only continuing to improve as he’s stated after recent games, but there were signs of our old selves particularly in the second half as the confidence and belief came back, while the tension created by our poor run of form is hopefully now starting to dissipate.
“Happy and overall we kept the consistency we achieved on Thursday and we started today a little bit under our energy,” he said in his post-match interview, as quoted by BBC Sport. “We conceded one goal and it was again. a very difficult moment but reacted. Winning duels and recovering the ball as high as possible and then we were being aggressive. I think today the result we did come back was through our energy and wishes to come back.”
On Ollie Watkins:Â “He is very important for the team because he was not scoring goals. We needed goals through Watkins, Buendia and McGinn. Today, with our supporters, we need to connect here and bring the energy. I think our results are bringing balance. We are not where we want to be but this result will hopefully help us get better. How the players are connecting and adapting is important.”
On why he subbed off Harvey Elliott at half-time:Â “Keep going, for him and I change him more tactically because Emiliano Buendia is giving us energy and his adaptation is better than Elliott. he needs time, Elliott. Emiliano did fantastic.”
On Villa finding form:Â “We draw three matches away and it was not the worst and as well not the best. I told you we were improving and getting better but we needed to improve things. Today we did it. Of course, now, we are playing in Feyenoord on Thursday and we have the opportunity to get confidence and it is another opportunity and challenge. And then we can keep being consistent at home and keep adding more players in our structures. Sancho was feeling sick before the game so that is why he was not on the bench but he will be important for us. We will add other players in as well with their qualities.
“To win is the consequence of how you are building the team, how you are individually and tactically as well, being consistent and being demanding.
“We are getting better. We started [the season] so, so poor but then after the break we draw with Everton, Sunderland and Brentford. We were more or less getting balanced but not enough, performing better but not enough.
“We needed to improve some things, not just tactically, and on Thursday we did that and today as well. We reacted fantastically to conceding the goal. We showed energy, collectively and individually.
“Progressively, we are getting better and those points will hopefully help us to be more consistent for the next matches.”
On slow starts:Â “We are looking forward and trying to get better at everything. We started poor but I don’t know why. In the first 15 minutes, we conceded one goal and we weren’t playing.
“But it was important how we drew level in the match and started playing to our gameplan. Then in the second half we were really pushing with energy, scored two goals and after we controlled the game.
“Today was very important to try and feel confidence through the result.”
On Ollie Watkins:Â “Happy winning, happy for the players, happy for goalscoring players, Emi Buendia and John McGinn as well. Happy because we conceded one goal then we defended well.”
On Emi Buendia:Â “Transfer window finished one month ago. Emiliano is showing his wishes to help us and his quality. Hopefully he is going to be very important, he is playing minutes, getting confidence, understanding tactically how we want to play. Fantastic for him and the team.”
On Tyrone Mings’ injury:Â “I don’t know. Injured but I don’t know which injuries.”
On building on the win:Â “Hopefully it can help us and we can keep going. Getting the points like we did helps us to feel confident and we can get better in the table and we have to try to reach the level we achieved last season.”
While it was crucial in the context of the game and in the bigger picture, Watkins getting back on the scoresheet was a pivotal moment for him personally too having looked starved of confidence through the opening games of the campaign.
Providing him with consistent and quality service is still a challenge which we need to improve on, but that goal will hopefully do wonders for him and get him going on a run of goalscoring form, as he’s shown he’s capable of doing previously.
It was also wonderful to see Buendia play a decisive role as he continues to make a key contribution having secured another chance at Villa this season, and while Harvey Elliott will no doubt improve with playing time as he continues to adapt and integrate, it proved to be a great decision from Emery to make that change at half-time.
Villa travel to Feyenoord in midweek before hosting Burnley next Sunday, and so it’s hoped that we’re able to continue this improved form ahead of the upcoming international break, and the mood both within the camp and amongst the supporters will certainly be much better following the past few days after a much-needed upturn in form.
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