Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was full of praise for midfield duo John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey this week as they both continue to improve under him.
Villa face Chelsea this weekend hoping to secure a win that would move us into the top half of the Premier League table, as we look to potentially try and kick on further and compete for a European qualification spot.
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In order to do that, we need to pick up from where we left off prior to the international break, having won three and drawn one in our last four league outings, scoring seven goals and conceding just one.
Both McGinn and Ramsey have played key roles in that run of form, as their respective impacts and influence have grown and improved under Emery, who is getting more from them while continuing to strive for consistency.
It’s vital that they remain fit between now and the end of the season, as they will undoubtedly play fundamental roles in our ongoing progress and push to move up the standings.
Emery on McGinn
McGinn, 28, has two assists in 10 league appearances under Emery, having failed to register a single one in 13 games prior to that.
While he has spoken publicly on several occasions about his desire to get back on the scoresheet given it’s now been so long since his last, his impact in the attacking phase of our play has grown and hopefully that goal isn’t far away.
Nevertheless, he has continued to do a great job for the team having shifted back into a more defensive midfield role in the last few outings due to Boubacar Kamara’s injury, but if he returns to the right side of the midfield again soon, he’ll hopefully continue to be decisive, whether that comes in the form of goals and/or assists.
Emery though is evidently delighted with what he brings to the squad both on and off the pitch.
“He has very good spirit every day; he’s smiling every day; he wants to train every day,” he told the media, as per VillaTV. “As a professional, he’s amazing with his commitment and his example for other players.
“I like him. When I arrived here, I remember the first meeting we had in the dressing room and now he’s the same. I’m very happy with him and his performances have been at a high level. He’s played as a midfielder in the last two matches, as a number ten, and he played very well.
“It was very good for me to know he can play in different positions.”
Emery on Jacob Ramsey
It’s a similar story for Ramsey, with the 21-year-old managing just one goal and one assist in 13 games prior to Emery’s appointment.
Since then, he’s contributed two goals and one assist in 11 outings, and he’s hopefully settling into a more effective role where we can get the best out of him on a consistent basis.
Aside from his ability to make well-timed runs into the box and get into dangerous attacking positions, his work-rate, energy and ability to break forward at pace with the ball at his feet add a crucial dynamic to our offensive play, and Emery praised his desire to improve while emphasising the importance he will have moving forward too.
“He’s very focused to improve,” he added. “He’s very focused to take everything, tactically, we are demanding of him. He’s working, collectively and individually, a lot.
“He’s from Birmingham and we have to keep players like him because of the spirit he can add to the squad, with his quality as well.
“The next objective for him is to be the captain of the Under-21s for the national team and then in the future, the captain of the national team in England.”