Unai Emery has insisted he can win the Champions League with Aston Villa, in comments that follow the club's legal threat towards Jamie Carragher. The Villa manager is poised to show his commitment by signing a new contract.
Emery's Ambitions
Speaking ahead of a trip to Old Trafford on Sunday, Emery said he can achieve his dreams by staying at Villa. "Aston Villa won [the European Cup] in 1982. They were favourites at that moment? I think not," he said. "Leicester won the league 10 years ago. In football, everything can happen. Of course, the favourite teams, they are (competing for) the Premier League and Champions League."
Emery pointed to his time at Villarreal, where he reached the semi-final four years ago, and Borussia Dortmund's run to the final three years ago, as examples of unfancied teams competing for the title. "In the Premier League, it is more difficult. We finished two times fourth in the league and in those times we were in December two or three points behind Manchester City and Arsenal. To keep the consistency in 38 matches is the difficult way. But we are working, trying to get our best."
Response to Carragher
Carragher had caused a stir by suggesting Emery would be a good fit to replace Michael Carrick as Manchester United manager. His comments, plus a subsequent sweary message to angry Villa fans, prompted Villa to threaten the Sky Sports pundit with legal action. The former Liverpool defender was forced to issue an apology but has since doubled down on his opinion that Villa are some way behind United in the hierarchy of global football.
Writing in the Telegraph, Carragher said it was "beyond doubt" that United eclipse Villa on every conceivable metric. "It did not strike me as controversial to suggest that when a club of United's size wants Aston Villa's managers or players, traditionally they get them," he added.
Emery's Determination
Emery acknowledged the difficulty of winning the Premier League or Champions League but remains determined. "Of course, it is very difficult to win the Premier League, very difficult to win the Champions League. I have my dreams, thinking in objectives like that. In all my moments working in all the clubs, I was setting my demand high and my objectives high, sometimes achieving and sometimes not."
He added: "Last year, we achieved the Europa League, which is the second competition in Europe. Still being positive how we can continue improving, how we can even not being contender in the Premier League or Champions League, we have to compete and we have to try to get our best. Over the time, we will see how we can achieve our objectives."
Carragher has argued that, while United are currently below Villa in terms of results, the Red Devils remains a bigger job with greater expectations. "United clearly are not at the level of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG right now," he wrote. "But when any manager goes to Old Trafford, over the course of their contract they will be expected to build a team that will go head to head with those European giants. Anything less is failure. Villa are not judged to that standard."
"Emery is Villa's best coach since their 1981 title-winner Ron Saunders, but he can take his side to Barcelona, get soundly beaten 3-0, and it will be brushed off as an understandable setback against European aristocracy. United managers cannot suffer that kind of loss without more scrutiny."
