Aston Villa’s impressive display against Manchester City has sparked debate about their title aspirations.
While City boss Pep Guardiola believes they are genuine contenders, Villa manager Unai Emery remains more cautious.
“Yeah, definitely,” Guardiola responded when asked if Villa have what it takes to challenge for the Premier League title. He lauded their physicality, tempo, speed, and organization, crediting Emery for the team’s impressive form.
“For the way they are playing, when you are there and see the physicality, the tempo, the speed, the bench, the organisation from Unai Emery, the set pieces and high pressing in medium block, how incredible they defend the back four, the goalkeeper. Absolutely.”
Villa’s dominance over City, including a record 14-game home winning streak and their first league victory over the champions since 2013, underscores Guardiola’s belief.
However, Emery disagrees with this assessment. “We are not contenders,” he stated, emphasizing their focus on maintaining their current third-place position and acknowledging the long road ahead.
He further explained, “There are other teams that are contenders at the beginning. We are at game 15. There are still lots of matches to play.“
While acknowledging the possibility of becoming contenders later in the season, Emery stressed the need for continued progress and consistent winning performances. “If we are keeping it progressing during the season, playing matches and winning like we are doing then maybe we can become contenders. We need more time. We can believe, but we are not contenders.”
