Aston Villa playmaker Emiliano Buendia has revealed his thoughts on where Unai Emery has made key differences since he took charge at the club.
Buendia, 26, has been one of the players to benefit from the arrival of the Spanish tactician, as he has been an ever-present in the side in the Premier League since.
READ MORE: How Villa could line up vs Man City: Three key changes Emery might make
In addition to the influence he has both on and off the ball, he’s contributed two goals in his last five league outings, and although he conceded this week that he has always said he still needs to improve his numbers in terms of both goals and assists, he’s pleased with how things are going currently.
Further, he believes that Emery can get the best out of him, and he expressed his gratitude and love for the Villa fans and the club as the Argentine playmaker sounds very much at home and happy with where he’s at.
Naturally, as with every other player in the squad, he will be striving to improve and further establish himself as a fundamental figure in Emery’s preferred Villa XI, and he was very clear on where he feels as though the Villa boss has had a significant impact already.
“They (the coaching staff) are quite focused on the small details, tactical things. Now we look stronger in different parts of the game,” he told Villa TV. “In the last game, unfortunately, we conceded four goals, but I think our structure when defending is better and more consistent.
“We feel more freedom in the attacking areas to create good chances. In almost every game, we’ve had plenty of chances to score goals.
“We need to be more clinical sometimes.”
Villa are still seeking key improvements and consistency, as while it has been largely positive under Emery, there have been setbacks along the way – namely defeats to Stevenage and Leicester City – that show we’re still a work in progress.
However, it’s hard to disagree with Buendia on the points that he makes above, as we certainly do look more organised and disciplined defensively, whether it’s playing a high line or staying compact and in our shape to then counter-attack quickly and hurt teams.
Further, creating chances hasn’t been an issue as we look a more dynamic and dangerous outfit in the final third, but as he rightly points out, we need to be much more clinical and ruthless in front of goal to punish teams.
Villa have got some difficult assignments coming up with Man City, Arsenal and Everton up next, but what Emery has also done is instil a belief that we can beat any side on our day if we play to our best ability. In turn, it’s hoped that we go to the Etihad on Sunday and try to be positive, with the likes of Buendia undoubtedly set to play a key role in our bid to return home with all three points.
🗣 Emi Buendiaaa…🎶🫶🏽🟣🔵
Buendia on Villa fans, enjoying his time at the club and Emery's impact…#avfc #UTV pic.twitter.com/CsFuCNFga6
— Talk Villa (@thetalkvilla) February 7, 2023
