‘Practically Non-stop’ – Aston Villa Boss Unai Emery Sees Break Positive | OneFootball

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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has admitted that he has been enjoying the long international break away from club football, pointing out he has been coaching non-stop for 22 years.

The Villans have had a shaky start to the Premier League season, having won one, drawn one, and lost three in the first five league matches.

Aston Villa got their first win in the Premier League with a 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, just before the lengthy international break due to the Nations League.

Emery has admitted that he is enjoying the long international break, as he has been coaching non-stop for 22 years, and the break not only helps him but also the players, who will have time to rest as well as relax.

The 54-year-old also stressed that the work to get better never really stops, and with Aston Villa now consistently taking part in European competition, the demand for success keeps increasing.

Emery said via Spanish daily Diario de Sevilla, when asked about his opinion on long international breaks: “Yes, breaks are good when you win and bad when you lose.

“Well, I’ve been coaching since I was 32, I’m 54 now, practically non-stop.

“When they come after a week, they’re good to be able to rest a bit and have a few days to relax.

“But it’s true that the competitive grind is huge, especially with the habit I don’t want to lose, which I also started with the success in Seville of playing in Europe.

“With Aston Villa, we’ve been playing in Europe for four years, and that demands a lot from you, but Europe is something wonderful.

“It’s a chance to stop, to prepare for the upcoming matches and analyse the ones we’ve played.”

Aston Villa will face Sevilla in a friendly tonight and Emery stressed that the training camp will help players who were not included in their respective national teams to stay sharp.

“Now we’re having a short training camp here in Marbella, for three days, with the Sevilla match, which I also think is a very special match for us.

“We have players who haven’t been with their national teams who also need to play, to maintain their rhythm a bit. So, it’s a positive thing.”

Emery arrived at Villa Park in 2022 and since then he has turned the club into consistent participants in European competitions, and also helped them win the Europa League last season.

It is still early days in the season, but after an underwhelming start to the campaign, Emery will want his team to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible.

Aston Villa resume their Premier League campaign against Brentford and then face Fenerbahce in the Champions League.