Unai Emery stated that Aston Villa are ‘not contenders’ for a top-five finish in the Premier League this season, even though they are currently in third place.
Villa faced an unexpected defeat on Sunday, losing 1-0 at home to Everton, which ended their streak of 11 consecutive home wins.
The team missed an opportunity to move ahead of Manchester City into second place after City lost to Manchester United. Emery expressed concerns over the limited options available to his squad.
Villa was unable to sign Conor Gallagher this month, as he chose to join Tottenham instead. Meanwhile, Donyell Malen has moved to AS Roma, a departure Emery did not want, but he understood Malen’s desire for more playing time.
After the loss to Everton, Emery remarked that his team is ‘not contenders’ for Champions League qualification despite their standings.
“We are not contenders to be in the top five,” he told Sky Sports.
“There are other teams with more potential than us.”
Villa’s next match is against Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday. Defender Ezri Konsa urged his teammates to recover quickly. After the Everton match, he commented: “It’s a tough one to take. We expected to win, but we know every game in the Premier League is challenging.”
“Everton’s away form in the last six matches has been strong; they defended well and neutralized our offensive efforts.”
“It’s part of football—you win some, you lose some—but we must ensure we bounce back.”
“We have two important fixtures next week, and we must aim to win.”
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