Unai Emery has played down Aston Villa’s chances of finishing in the Premier League top-four, claiming that there are seven teams who are bigger contenders.
This is despite his team securing a remarkable comeback victory against Tottenham on Sunday, with Giovani Lo Celso scoring first for the home side, Villa climbed to fourth in the table by netting goals from Pau Torres and Ollie Watkins on either side of halftime.
With 13 games played, Aston Villa is now just two points behind the top-placed Arsenal, trailing Manchester City by a point and standing behind Liverpool solely on goal difference.
Although contending for the title might be a stretch this season, there is a belief that they are in a good position to secure a place in the Champions League, although Unai Emery himself does not share this opinion. In fact, the manager is uncertain whether his team will even secure a top-seven finish and qualify for European competition.
‘There are seven team who are contenders more than us for the top seven positions. While we are there we are going to try to enjoy it and keep it,’ Emery told the Daily Mail following the win at Spurs.
‘Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle.
‘We can get confidence from wins like this. But it is still clear in my mind, we need balance. It’s 38 games, we have to show consistency.
‘We are in a good position but not a contender but while we are there we have to try to keep it. We have to be happy, we have to enjoy and be demanding as well.
Now we have to rest and think about Thursday [against Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League] and then Sunday against Bournemouth.’
Although the race for European berths is fierce, Emery’s optimism about Chelsea’s prospects is unexpected, considering they are currently 12 points behind Villa and nine behind Newcastle, trailing both Brighton and West Ham in the standings.
Even if Aston Villa doesn’t secure a European spot, winning the Conference League, where they are the favorites, would still guarantee them a place in the Europa League next season.