Aston Villa travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest on Sunday, just days after their Europa League action in midweek, with Unai Emery saying his side still face a huge challenge in Europe and the Premier League. Emery said Villa are on day 32 of the season and sitting fourth.
The Villa manager pointed to the rhythm some of his players kept during the international break, saying those away with national teams were either playing or training. But he also admitted the squad were missing something in the first half after three weeks away, even though they improved as the game went on.
Villa’s season has already swung hard. They opened with a four-game scoreless streak in the Premier League and then went five fixtures without a win before beating Fulham 3-1 in the final week of September. From the beginning of October to the end of December, they dropped points only in a 2-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield, a run that included home wins over Manchester City and Arsenal at Villa Park.
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That form has not held since the start of the year, and Villa have been dragged back into a fight to finish in the top five. Emery said the three weeks of preparation over the international break gave him and his staff time to work on the run-in, but he stressed that the team must keep the same consistency, even with ups and downs.
The wider picture is why this stretch matters. Emery has not failed to qualify for continental competition since arriving at Villa, with finishes of 7th, 4th and 5th in the Premier League under his management. Another strong end to the season would keep that record intact, but the margin for error has narrowed again before a difficult trip to Forest.
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For Villa, Sunday is less about proving what they have already done and more about showing they can repeat it when the table tightens and the schedule bites. Emery has built enough credit to expect a response. The question now is whether his team can deliver one at the City Ground.
