Aston Villa headed into the summer as Europa League winners, but keeping that successful squad together was never going to be straightforward.
Unai Emery was forced to oversee a major rebuild during the transfer window, with around half of the team that lifted the trophy departing Villa Park.
With so much change, a slow start was always a possibility, and that proved to be the case. Villa had to wait until their fifth Premier League game to record their first victory, but when it finally arrived, it did so in impressive fashion.
Emery’s side travelled to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendía. Spurs managed to score twice late on to make the closing stages uncomfortable, although the 3-2 scoreline arguably flattered the hosts.
Speaking to VillaTV after the match, Emery was delighted with the way his players followed the gameplan.
“We are delighted with how the players responded on the field with the gameplan we planned, how we needed to get points and in this stadium, in this scenario, against Tottenham away, it’s always been very difficult,” the Spaniard said.
“But we competed fantastically. We were defending collectively strongly in the first half. We needed the ‘keeper, we needed to defend a lot of corners defensively and we were resilient.”
With more than half of the starting XI consisting of new arrivals, the Villa boss also emphasised that his squad is still adapting.
“We must adapt the new players, and we need to try to create and build our structure, feeling comfortable each one, getting confident, and today is really fantastic how we did,” Emery added.
“I think we are more or less getting confidence, collectively and individually, and trying to adapt our new players to the standard we have, and to the demands we have, and to the mentality we need.”
Aston Villa star considering his future
All that squad turnover has left Emery experimenting in an attempt to find the right balance. So far, that balance has not included Alejandro Garnacho.
The Argentine joined Villa on a season-long loan from Chelsea during the summer but is yet to start a game for the club, having played just 31 minutes in total. He was an unused substitute in each of Villa’s last three matches against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham and Coventry City in the Carabao Cup.
Emery fielded a heavily rotated team against Coventry but still did not turn to Garnacho, while younger options such as Manzambi, Ibrahim Mbaye, George Hemmings and Alysson have all been given opportunities ahead of him this season.
Emery has publicly backed the winger, praising his attitude while also admitting that he is not yet at the required level.
“We want him at the same level he was for Chelsea in the first part of last season and in Manchester two years ago.
“He is a player we have signed for a long time, and we will help him to feel comfortable and confident to get his quality.
“Every training session we are doing, he is showing he can play matches. He played a few minutes, but it was not enough, firstly due to the minutes he played and the things he showed.
“Progressively, I am seeing him better. The most important thing is being consistent and demanding through the attitude he has. Then, I believe and I trust that he will achieve his best performance.”
That patience may not be shared by the player himself. Football FanCast sources understand that Garnacho is keen to leave Villa Park if he does not start receiving more opportunities soon.
Getting out, however, would not be straightforward. According to The Telegraph, his loan does not contain a January break clause for either club. Chelsea cannot recall him, while Villa cannot simply send him back. Both clubs would have to agree to terminate the deal early, potentially creating a tense standoff if the Argentine pushes for an exit.
Chelsea are unlikely to agree unless another club is prepared to take over the loan and guarantee Garnacho regular playing time, with La Liga reportedly the most likely destination.
Villa have found themselves in a similar situation before. Last season, Liverpool refused to cut short Harvey Elliott’s loan in January, meaning he remained at Villa Park for the rest of the campaign while largely being out of the picture.
The stakes could be even higher this time. Garnacho’s loan includes an obligation to buy if certain conditions are met, with the fee reportedly around £43m. If those conditions are triggered, Villa could be committing significant money next summer to a player who wants to leave and who does not currently appear to have a regular place in Emery’s plans.
