Final words from Emery before Aston Villa match against Brighton | OneFootball

With positive results come greater expectations at Aston Villa. Playing well and winning are exciting. When the ultimate successes have been lacking for a while, the demand to finally break through only increases. This is a pressure, though, that Unai Emery is comfortable with.

The manager wants his side to not only push for trophies but also to be able to line up and beat any competition in Europe. At this point, the club isn't at that stage. Each step in the right direction helps to reinforce that everything is on the right track and that the gap at the top is shrinking.

Part of this is reflected by being in the FA Cup and Champions League still in April. There is the added component, however, of still sitting outside of a qualification spot for next year in league play. There is understandably a lot of buzz for the potential that Villa has right now. Emery, however, would be the first to point out very doable points of improvement.

For the Spaniard, his approach isn't about potentially winning a single trophy one year. Instead, it is about setting the team up to be in a position to be legitimate annual contenders. He views AVFC as a side that can and should be included with the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona. Right now, this isn't the case. They are still a tier below them, but he knows that this is the goal. More importantly, everyone on staff is actively working with the players to make that aim a reality.

Long view from Aston Villa boss

Speaking during his press conference before the Brighton game, Emery offered some insight. His words here touched on his overall vision, as well as his current view of the club. While answering a question about the upcoming schedule, he said the focus currently is:

Emery is speaking on being able to reliably count on a certain standard of play while having it be a given to do well in league play and chase trophies in other competitions. It may seem like a lot, and it may seem like a lot to balance. For the Villa boss, he is looking for this to simply become part of the norm.

Between the efforts he is putting in with the other coaches and how he is working with Monchi, player belief and buy-in are easy to come by. Even if outside voices are currently doubting the sustainability of Aston Villa, this Midlands side is well-positioned under this leadership to prove those naysayers wrong.