Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has explained why he was left so angry during the second half of our 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday.
After Youri Tielemans gave us an early lead in what was a must-win game for our Champions League qualification hopes, Villa controlled the first half well and looked relatively comfortable at the break.
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However, a combination of Fulham coming out with more intent in the second half and our lack of intensity led to the visitors enjoying more chances and building pressure, and we certainly didn’t make our job easier at times with our sloppy play in possession.
During one particular passage of play, Ezri Konsa was dispossessed and turned to the referee looking for a free-kick, and while it wasn’t given, Fulham countered with pace and eventually had a chance at goal which was fortunately missed.
As seen in the video below, Emery was furious with his players, with reporters present at the ground noting that his reaction was aimed at Konsa in particular, as Villa risked surrendering our lead and putting our Champions League qualification chances in jeopardy.
Speaking after the game, the Villa boss explained why he was left so angry, as evidently it was a point of emphasis during the week in our preparations, and his warnings weren’t heeded to the standard that he was demanding.
“We spoke yesterday and this week how important it is to try to play and focus seriously in 90 minutes in our game plan, each one to feel comfortable,” he told the media, as per the Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell. “But if someone is relaxing a little bit, we are closer to losing.
“When we lost some balls in the first half, in the dressing room I told them, ‘I can’t accept!’. I can’t accept sometimes how we were managing the match.”
We’ve seen a passionate Emery react in countless ways on the touchline in the past, and his determination, commitment and desire to succeed is exactly what we need in terms of demanding more from the players if we wish to compete at the highest level.
If the players don’t take the instructions on board, they can expect reactions like the one below if it puts our chances of winning at risk, and so hopefully lessons are learned as we embark on three more league games in our season, all of which we must win if we are to keep our chances of finishing in the top five of the Premier League alive.
While some will argue that we needed a cooler head on the sidelines running the show, no one can deny the passion and desire to win that Emery possesses as he looks to ensure we achieve a significant objective this season after recent disappointments in other competitions.
Unai Emery was FUMING with his players after this Fulham chance 🤬
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