John Townley’s latest Aston Villa notebook offering as Unai Emery’s side prepare for AZ Alkmaar meeting following West Ham victory
Aston Villa will fly to the Netherlands on Wednesday evening to face AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League as Unai Emery’s team looks to seize control of Group E.
Villa reacted to their setback at Legia Warsaw with a 1-0 win over Zrinjski Mostar at Villa Park, bringing the group’s total to three points. AZ, their opponents on Thursday, lost their first game 4-3 at Mostar after leading by three goals in the first half. The Dutch then defeated Legia 1-0 at home earlier this month to get their season started.
Villa are coming off another Premier League home triumph, this time against West Ham, who were hammered 4-1 at Villa Park. Leon Bailey came off the bench to score Villa’s fourth goal of the game – and his fifth goal of the season in all competitions – and said he and his teammates are upbeat about Thursday’s encounter.
“We just have to keep going and keep making the fans happy,” he remarked. Of sure, it boosts our confidence. I am incredibly pleased of the squad and how we performed. I’m proud of how we assisted each other on the pitch. I am glad for the objective. I thought that was a fantastic goal.
“It gives us a lot of confidence, in our opinion.” It all comes down to the hard work we’ve been putting in. The supporters have been fantastic; they have rallied behind us, making it difficult for opponents while also giving us confidence to perform the way we do. But we must likewise do the same thing when
“We have a great coach, a solid team structure, and the game plan is working for us.” Hopefully, we can replicate our performance at home in away games as well.
“As a player, you always want to be involved, whether you’re scoring or assisting, and you want to be there for the team.” On Sunday, I came on and assisted the squad in a little way. That makes me happy.”
“We have to think about what we have to do for our fans, but also ourselves,” Bailey said of AZ. Playing in Europe, especially away from home, is challenging. We will require as many fans as possible. Hopefully, we can continue.
“The group is set in a way now that everything is possible. We just need to stay focused on what we are doing, our game plan and everything will come after.”
Villa have won their previous 11 Premier League home games, and they face Luton and Fulham in the coming weeks. Before Christmas, Emery’s team will also face Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, and Bournemouth.
They’ve scored 17 goals in their first four home league matches this season, and many experts are wondering if they’ll be able to compete for a place in the Champions League.
“That’s what has really surprised me since Unai Emery came to Aston Villa is looking back at his career as a striker,” Sky Sports analyst Jamie Carragher said of Villa’s form and goal threat.
