Aston Villa take on already relegated Southampton this afternoon (3pm)
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: PA)
Unai Emery has warned his Aston Villa players not to underestimate Southampton, despite the Saints having already been relegated from the Premier League in record time.
Southampton’s relegation to the Championship was confirmed last weekend following a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
They are the first team in Premier League history to be relegated with as many as seven games remaining in the season. Additionally, they are just the third team to lose as many as 25 of their first 31 top-flight matches, following Sunderland in 2005–06 and Sheffield United in 2020–21.
Villa, meanwhile, are aiming to win four consecutive Premier League games for the first time since a five-match winning streak in April 2023. However, Emery is determined to prevent any complacency from creeping into his squad.
“We won against them here 1-0, and what a match,” Emery said “We won this match but it was very difficult to get it. And I appreciate how they are playing, their style.
“Playing football, keeping ball possession. Of course, in football it is to compete and maybe to compete is not always getting this level for some teams.
“But now they are free, they are going to play like they are. Good players, good position playing on the field. The last match they played at home, they drew against Crystal Palace but they were close to winning.
“Crystal Palace scored in the last minutes. And I respect every team a lot. Because I know some words my friend was always reminding me.”
That friend is Pablo Rodriguez, who joined Villa from Villarreal soon after Emery’s return to Premier League management.
“The teams like Southampton in the bottom and now when they are relegated for the next year, they are not going to lose every match,” Emery claimed.
“Still seven matches to play, they are not going to lose every match. They are going to win matches. And unless you are ready, it’s against you. If you are not ready.
“The people around me, they are always in football, involved in football and working in different ways. Always he [Rodriguez] was telling me, not just here but before as well: ‘Remember Unai, those teams, now Southampton, they are going to win matches’.”
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