Unai Emery upbeat despite latest Aston Villa friendly defeat
Unai Emery feels Villa’s 2-0 defeat at RB Leipzig provided them with a strong “test” as they prepare for next season’s UEFA Champions League campaign.
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Goals from Andre Silva and Lois Openda secured victory for the Bundesliga outfit before Diego Carlos was shown a second yellow card on the verge of half-time.
Jacob Ramsey returned to action for the first time since March at the break, while John McGinn played just over an hour. Emi Buendia also emerged from the bench for the final 30 minutes.
Emery admitted he is still practicing with the team during pre-season but insists there are positive signs of progression.
Emery said after the game: “We are in pre-season and practicing with the team and progressively getting better.
“Today was a match against an opponent of the level we will face in the season. It was a test. In the first half, I thought we were good, even losing 2-0 due to two mistakes. One goal was a clear offside.
“We are trying to contest with ourselves some tactical work and after the red card it was a completely different match.
“The idea after it was to get the work we did with players like Jacob Ramsey and Emi Buendia taking minutes.”
New signing Amadou Onana also played for the first hour and Emery has been pleased with how well has has adapted to his system.
“Onana is progressively getting better. He’s trying to quickly understand our tactical idea and he played some minutes at centre-back.
“Of course, he is a player for us to play as a midfielder, but he’s competitive and his adaptation is going really well.”
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have no intention of selling striker Jean-Philippe Mateta amid interest from Villa – according to reports.
Villa have reportedly made enquiries to Mateta’s representatives over a potential summer switch, while Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Torino are also monitoring his situation.
Mateta scored 16 goals for the Eagles in the Premier League last term, including 14 times in his last 16 games, which included a hat-trick in a 5-0 rout over Villa on the final day.
The Frenchman, whose current deal expires in 2026, is yet to be rewarded with a new contract.
But according to reports, Palace view Mateta as an important part of their project under Oliver Glasner and early discussions over an improved deal are understood to have been ongoing for sometime.
