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OFFICIAL PREVIEW: UNAI EMERY ANALYZES ASTON VILLA’S TACTICAL EVOLUTION BEFORE THE UNITED SHOWDOWN
Aston Villa seeks revenge 210 days after a controversial loss to Man Utd cost them Champions League glory. Title Dreams are real!
Aston Villa is out for payback against Manchester United this weekend. Unai Emery's team wants to stay close to Arsenal and Manchester City in the chase for the title.
It's been 210 days since that controversial loss at United on the last day of the 2024/25 season. That defeat cost Villa a spot in the Champions League. Now, they're facing Man U again, but this time there's more than just a place in Europe at stake.
Villa is close to City and Arsenal in the title race. Getting things right against United is a chance to make their title dreams more real.
Yes, of course, Emery told Sky Sports when asked if last season's ending adds extra fire to Sunday's game at Villa Park.
Manchester United is very tough. We're really up for keeping our form against them. Since I got here three years ago, we've been going head-to-head, sometimes winning, sometimes losing, but always close.
Right now, we're even ahead of them, with a bit of an advantage. But Sunday is huge for us and those three points. This is a great chance, and we're pumped.
'Need to be realistic to believe we can win the title'
Emery hasn't wanted to talk about the title much, always saying the focus is on the next game.
Right now, Opta puts their chances of winning the league for the first time since 1981 at only 5.8%. But just the fact that people are talking about it shows how far they've come since Emery arrived back in October 2022.
Back then, it looked more likely they'd fall back into the Championship than win anything.
A tough Christmas is coming up—Chelsea and Arsenal away after United. But when Emery was asked about the title race, he just smiled and didn't say much.
Of course, I'd like us to be seen as title favourites, but we're not, Emery said.
We're playing really well, we're competing hard, and we're third right now. That's where we are.
But to think we're favourites, to really believe we can win the league, we need to stay consistent, keep pushing ourselves, and stay grounded.
They've won 10 of their last 11 Premier League games, but can they keep it up?
Emery is choosing to focus on getting better, using their recent wins as something to build on.
We're working every day to find ways to win. First, we need to be strong on defence, he said.
Second, we need to improve our attack as a team, be smart with our tactics, and make each player feel good playing to their strengths in their best position.
And then, we need to score in different ways. Set pieces are really important, and we're working on them a lot. My priority is how we can improve every day and in every game.
Even when we win, there's still a lot to improve.
Emery hints at January signings.
Villa isn't just looking at the Premier League. Last season, Emery got them to the Champions League quarter-finals and an FA Cup semi-final, and they fought for a top-five spot until the very end.
Villa is in a good spot to do the same this season.
They're currently level on points with Lyon and Midtjylland in the Europa League. Part of the reason they did so well in the second half of last season was because of the smart addition of Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, Axel Disasi, and Donyell Malen in January.
Villa didn't have much money to spend in the summer, but Emery hasn't ruled out bringing in new players. "Of course, we're open to it, and the club is working on it," he said.
Last year was great. The way Malen, Rashford, Asensio, and Disasi came in helped us a lot.
This year, we have to be ready and think about how we can improve the team and do it if we need to.
Emery isn't talking about titles or transfers, but the mood at Bodymoor Heath is that the club is feeling a new sense of what's possible.
They are calm, focused, and quietly ambitious. This Villa team is enjoying the ride, step by step, with a growing feeling that something special could happen at the end of the season.
THOMAS FRANK APPROVES "RECORD-BREAKING" BID FOR LEICESTER WONDERKID JEREMY MONGA THIS WINTER.
Tottenham Hotspur launches an aggressive bid for Leicester’s Jeremy Monga as Thomas Frank seeks a long-term star.
Graeme Bailey recently reported that Tottenham Hotspur is watching Leicester City's young player, Jeremy Monga. Word is, Spurs will have to compete with Manchester United and Manchester City to get the English kid next year.
Monga's Been Doing Great in English Football
Monga's performances on the left for Leicester have really stood out this season. The 16-year-old has been playing really well in attack. So far, he's scored one goal and made one assist in 13 games for the Foxes in all competitions this season.
The English kid has looked great at times in the opponent's half. He takes about one shot per game in La Liga. Almost half of his shots are on target. Monga passes the ball well from the sides, completing about 76% of his passes in the Spanish league (stats from fbref.com).
Right now, Monga is one of the best young wingers in English football. So, it makes sense that Spurs are one of the teams hoping to sign him next year.
Tottenham Hotspur Is Watching Monga: Could He Be a Star Later On?
Monga is good at finding space to take shots. He can make key passes around the opponent's box and is a good dribbler.
The English talent can also score and set up important goals for his team. Monga mainly plays on the left wing but can also play on the right or as a number ten if needed. He already knows the Premier League well, so he should fit in at Tottenham pretty quickly.
Monga would definitely make Thomas Frank's attack better in the future. He's good enough to compete for a starting spot at the North London club soon.
At 16, Monga could become a big star in English football. He's definitely someone to watch, so Spurs should try to sign him in 2026.
REVEALED: WHY ASTON VILLA’S "PERFECT TEN" HOME RUN MAKES THEM LEGITIMATE TITLE FAVORITES
Unai Emery makes history: Aston Villa moves within 3 points of Arsenal after Morgan Rogers destroys United at Villa Park.
Morgan Rogers was on fire, scoring two sweet goals as Aston Villa cemented their spot in third place, beating Manchester United 2-1.
Rogers curved in a beautiful shot just before halftime, putting Villa ahead. Not long after, Matheus Cunha levelled the score.
But Villa's main guy came through again, regaining the lead with another terrific goal just before the hour mark.
This win keeps them in the running as surprise challengers for the Premier League title. They're only three points behind Arsenal, who are currently leading.
Plus, Villa is seven points ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool, who are in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
It was also Villa's tenth straight home win in all competitions, a historic achievement led by head coach Emery.
Aston Villa's Perfect Ten:
Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester United - Premier League - December 21
Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal - Premier League - December 6
Aston Villa 3-0 Wolves - Premier League - November 30
Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys—Europa League—November 27
Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth - Premier League - November 9
Aston Villa 2-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv - Europa League - November 6
Aston Villa 1-0 Manchester City - Europa League - October 26
Aston Villa 2-1 Burnley - Premier League - October 5
Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham - Premier League - September 28
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna - Europa League - September 25
Villa had a great run of ten home wins in a row under the Spaniard from March to September 2023.
Emery is now only the second manager in Villa's history to have two separate streaks of ten home wins.
He joins George Ramsay, who had five different streaks like this between 1888 and 1905.
Rogers was definitely the man of the match, scoring his sixth and seventh goals of the season during this tenth straight victory.
The former Manchester City academy player gave United's defence lots of trouble throughout the game.
If he keeps going like this, Thomas Tuchel will probably pick him for the England squad for the 2026 World Cup.
But winning with Villa is his main focus as they keep fighting Arsenal and City for the title.
Can Villa Actually Win It All?
Villa didn't seem to be doing so well at the beginning of the season, not winning any of their first six matches in all competitions.
They only scored one goal in their first five league matches, but things have really changed since then.
Now in third place, Villa has a good chance to upset everyone and be a serious contender for the Premier League title.
Emery's team has already beaten title rivals Arsenal and City, but they still have to play at Arsenal and City's grounds.
They're going to Arsenal on December 30, three days after playing Chelsea away from home.
Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace are their first two opponents in 2026, followed by an FA Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur.
Villa will also play their final two Europa League league phase matches in January as they try to do well in every competition this season.
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