John Townley
@johntownley11
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Aston Villa correspondent for @Birmingham_Live | @ClaretBluePod | DMs open or john.townley @reachplc .com
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Joined July 2018
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Pinned Tweet
A tribute to Charlie Aitken, the
#AVFC
icon whose legend will live on forever.
Aitken served Villa for 17 years, not for money, but for "the prestige". His 660 appearances for the club are gospel and to those who knew him, his personality and humour will be equally memorable.
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Jack Grealish will make his fifth Wembley appearance for
#AVFC
in March - that’s more than any other Villa player in history.
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Nearly midnight at Villa Park and John McGinn is spending time with the group of
#AVFC
fans who've waited over an hour in the cold to get a pic with their heroes. What a night, man!
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With four games left to play, no team in Premier League history has ever made up a greater points deficit than
#AVFC
did to survive relegation in 2020.
Trezeguet's three goals in that run sparked the most improbable of recoveries - he stepped up when it mattered most for Villa.
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#AVFC
's John McGinn explains the story behind his trademark celebration...
"My nephew Jack is nearly five but he needs goggles to play for his football team as his eyesight is really poor, so I did the goggles for him."
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Since Frank Lampard in 2009-10, no English midfielder has contributed to more goals in domestic competitions at this point in a season than
#AVFC
’s Jack Grealish (15).
🏴🔜
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James Chester grew up a Man Utd fan but admits he now follows
#AVFC
closer, feeling pride to see them competing at the top end of the Premier League.
He made permanent sacrifices for the club and regards his time spent at Villa Park as the best years of his career.
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✍️ | Jed Steer often stays behind after training while Ollie Watkins goes through extra finishing drills.
He's
#AVFC
's longest serving player, whose impact on the club's recent history cannot be understated - Steer is an unsung hero.
Read more:
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John McGinn: "I'm living the dream. A few years ago I got relegated from the Scottish Premier League, so if you ask me if I'm going to play every week in the Premier League and in Europe, it doesn't matter how tired your legs are, you keep going and keep living the dream."
#AVFC
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No player in Europe’s top 5 leagues has carried the ball further than
#AVFC
’s Jack Grealish this season (11,751 yards).
Grealish has also been fouled 127 times - the most in a Premier League season since the data was recorded despite playing only 70% of the campaign.
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Ezri Konsa, doing Ezri Konsa things for
#AVFC
again this afternoon.
🎯 96% passing accuracy
⚽ 100% successful dribbles
➡️ 3 passes into final third
🧱 100% tackles won
⛔ 100% duels won
🥅 1 penalty won
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With four games left to play, no team in Premier League history has ever made up a greater points deficit than
#AVFC
to survive relegation.
The greatest of great escapes?
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No Premier League defender who's started more than ten games this season has been dribbled past fewer times than
#AVFC
's Ezri Konsa.
He's also stopped 92% of the dribblers he's faced which is bettered by one centre-back in Europe's top five leagues - he looks back to his best ⛔
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Ollie Watkins: "It was a feisty game, it spurred from my celebration but that's not down to a lack of respect for the fans. I've not got a bad word to say against them. But there was one person who was abusing me all game, the celebration wasn't to anyone else but him."
#AVFC
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Unai Emery on Emi Martinez: "Emi Martinez has his personality. He is a leader with his experiences and his attitude. He wishes to get something important. He really is brilliant. In the shoot-out, he was fantastic."
#AVFC
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The travelling Aston Villa fans serenade Matty Cash after his winner on Teesside. More than 4,000 of them travelled up here. Brilliant support as per.
#AVFC
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Vincent Kompany on Unai Emery: "I think he landed at a sleeping giant that was well funded, that had a long-term strategy on acquiring the best talent. He just turned them into a machine. I don't see how they won't keep growing. I have a lot of respect for Unai Emery."
#AVFC
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Emiliano Martínez has become the first
#AVFC
goalkeeper in Premier League history to save a penalty and keep a clean sheet in the same game at Villa Park.
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Andoni Iraola on Ollie Watkins: "He's an amazing player. Amazing player. He's not only about goals. He gives them a lot. He pins centre-backs, attacks spaces. He creates a lot. He didnt score, but he probably deserved to. He gives more than numbers."
#AVFC
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#AVFC
equal a club record of 14 successive home league wins - a feat last achieved 92 years ago - by beating Premier League champions Man City at Villa Park.
Not sure I remember watching a better Villa performance live. This is a special, special team. Wow.
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Asked if Villa players think they're in a title race, Emi Martinez said: "Of course, when you beat Man City and Arsenal in a week ... we controlled Man City like I've never seen them be controlled, then suffering against Arsenal and managing to win. I'm a believer, mate."
#AVFC
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Ezri Konsa: "I've played alongside Tyrone for many years and I felt like he was the leader. I used to go off him and use him as a guide. It's unfortunate that he got his injury and we're all behind him, but I feel like it's time for me to take on that responsibility."
#AVFC
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It will be remembered as Emi Martinez's night, but not without Matty Cash's 87th minute strike to level the tie. Potentially a decisive moment in Aston Villa's recent history.
#AVFC
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Unai Emery finally admits Aston Villa could be contenders to qualify for Champions League football this season.
"Okay, 63 ... we could now be contenders. We must be very demanding to keep it."
#AVFC
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Asked if Aston Villa are in the title race, Pep Guardiola said: "Yes, definitely. For the way they are playing, their physicality, their speed, the bench, Unai Emery, their mid-block, set-pieces. Definitely."
#AVFC
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Unai Emery has batted away links to the Bayern Munich job, which came out of German media this week.
"I am focused here, 100 per cent."
#AVFC
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Unai Emery on Aston Villa fans: "They are the real heart of the club. We are trying to connect with them and play for them, trying to enjoy together. They are the heart of us."
#AVFC
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Douglas Luiz will tomorrow become the second youngest
#AVFC
player during the PL era to make 42 appearances in all domestic comps in a single season.
Luiz has also this season recorded a higher pass completion rate (81%) than Kevin De Bruyne, Rúben Neves and Youri Tielemans.
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UEFA has fined Legia Warsaw €100k and banned the club from selling tickets to its away supporters for their next five European games. They have also been ordered to contact Villa to pay for the damage caused by their fans in Birmingham.
#AVFC
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Delighted for Ezri Konsa, one of the most underrated players in the Premier League finally getting the recognition he deserves.
A first senior England call-up for the centre-back who cost
#AVFC
just £12million. We have Dean Smith to thank for that one 🏴
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A major boost for
#AVFC
, as Unai Emery extends his contract with the club until 2027, as per
@David_Ornstein
.
Simply put, no other manager in world football would have performed a better job than he has at Villa over the last 18 months.
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Leon Bailey: "It is an amazing club. I decided to sign a long-term deal because I believe in this club and what our goals are for the next few years. I just want to be here to be a part of it and hopefully bring Aston Villa back to where we know it can be."
#AVFC
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Steve Bruce set up a round of golf for John McGinn's dad at the Belfry to stall his move to Celtic, allowing
#AVFC
to strike a deal with Hibs.
"It gave us another five hours to rustle up £2m because we didn't have it at the time. He's turned into a really, really top player."
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Emi Martinez says qualifying for the UCL with
#AVFC
would be like winning a title, while leaving the club to play elsewhere in UEFA's elite club competition is "too easy."
"Playing in the Champions League with a club nobody expects to be there - the merit is a little more."
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Quite remarkable that Douglas Luiz has become the second
#AVFC
player to score in five successive Premier League home matches, emulating Dwight Yorke in late 1996.
Some player 🇧🇷
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Ollie Watkins: "Massive reaction to come here and win today. We've had a lot of injuries. Three ACL injuries in one season is unheard of. So I think we're doing really well with the squad we've got."
#AVFC
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Unai Emery has given his
#AVFC
players three days off after navigating a gruelling festive schedule.
Villa have played ten games in all competitions in the last five weeks - no wonder it took Douglas Luiz an eternity to convert his penalty! A well-earned break.
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There are few harder tasks as a defender than coming into a game against Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, but Ezri Konsa locked down the right side. That England debut was long-overdue 🏴
#AVFC
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Douglas Luiz: "The gaffer helps us so much. The character of Ollie and Leon, it is great to have them in my team. I just think he [Emery] has lifted me, it is the truth. He tells me every day, you need to defend, and if you go you need to score."
#AVFC
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#AVFC
's Douglas Luiz has been recalled to the Brazil squad for their November internationals.
His last appearance for the Seleção came in October 2021. Richly deserved 🇧🇷
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Next weekend could be huge in the race for Champions League football…
If Aston Villa beat Luton, they'd need 15/33 points (5/11 wins) to reach 70. A defeat for Man Utd at Man City on Sunday would leave them requiring 27/33 points (9/11 wins) to hit 71.
#AVFC
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Douglas Luiz: "The last three games we don't play so well. It is halfway through the season, the players are tired, we lost three or four players to injury. It is difficult but we need to keep going."
#AVFC
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#AVFC
became only the second team in 93 Premier League games to reduce Pep Guardiola's Man City to an xG of below 1, while also creating 10 or more chances themselves last night.
From the very moment Steven Gerrard walked through the door, he demanded buy-in from his players.
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Aston Villa and Tottenham have racked up the same amount of wins (18), draws (6) and losses (8) after 32 games played. Even their GD is only separated by one goal scored by Villa.
Six to go. Strap yourselves in 😬
#AVFC
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🚨 Thrilled to have the privilege of leading
@Birmingham_Live
's coverage of
#AVFC
as club correspondent, and to build on
@PreeceObserver
's brilliant work over the past few years.
This is a dream role for me and I promise to work tirelessly to give you the best coverage possible.
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Tyrone Mings won every one of his ground and aerial duels for the fifth time this season in the win over Bournemouth.
In his last four
#AVFC
appearances...
⛔ 3 clean sheets
🎯 88% passing accuracy
➡️ 16 passes into the final third
🔄 27 recoveries
🧱 17 clearances
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Emi Martinez on Ollie Watkins: "I think Ollie should win player of the season. When you play for a 'big six' side, you get more credit but Ollie has scored 19 goals with the chances he's got. He should be a contender."
#AVFC
|
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Unai Emery on disallowed Leon Bailey goal: "It was not the correct decision but I always accept the VAR. I think today VAR was too much and for the goal it was a second action. We recovered the ball and then we score. It was not necessary to review this."
#AVFC
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1K
Unai Emery on Dean Smith: "I respect him a lot. I know he is from here. He was the coach when Aston Villa were promoted.
"I played against Aston Villa when he was a coach. He is an Aston Villa supporter as well."
#AVFC
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Emi Martinez: "I think we were miles off it in terms of performance tonight, but big teams always get the win."
#AVFC
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Emi Martinez will be suspended for Aston Villa's Europa Conference League semi-final first leg after picking up three yellow cards in the two quarter-final legs.
#AVFC
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54
1K
#AVFC
co-owner Wes Edens gifted Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness a Leon Bailey shirt yesterday.
Edens’ New Fortress Energy are working on ways to expand the energy business in Jamaica to ensure a sustainable future 🇯🇲
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985
Tyrone Mings is out taking pictures with fans and signing programmes before kick-off.
#AVFC
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1K
Morgan Rogers has bags of talent and he showed flashes of real quality in
#AVFC
's win at Luton...
🎯 86% passing accuracy
⚡️ 100% successful dribbles
↗️ 100% accurate long balls
🎨 2 chances created
🧱 5 defensive actions
💪 100% aerial duels won
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37
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Bertrand Traore on
#AVFC
: "They have world class players and one of the best managers in the world, I think.
"Aston Villa is a great, passionate club with incredible supporters. They have an incredible history, and now they're back on the European stage where they belong."
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1K
Ollie Watkins: "We relax when we are two goals ahead and it happened at Manchester United too. It's something we need to look at. There's something happening and we need to to do something there."
#AVFC
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973
David Moyes: "Aston Villa, I hope I'm not disrespecting them in anyway, are just behind the three or four big-name teams in the Premier League. I think they are one of those sides.
"I see Villa as one of the teams who are just on the coattails of the teams above them."
#AVFC
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48
964
Unai Emery on Nicolo Zaniolo: "The beginning of the season for him was very difficult. Two months ago something changed. He trained more and better, focusing each match too. We needed him, I told him this before."
#AVFC
|
8
23
966
Borussia Dortmund have announced they will host Aston Villa in a pre-season friendly at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday, August 10 🇩🇪
#AVFC
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962
Nassef Sawiris: "We are thrilled and are building a sporting operation around Unai to support him with a view of returning Aston Villa, a co-founder of the English Football League as we prepare to celebrate our 150th anniversary, to its historic levels of greatness."
#AVFC
10
65
958
Unai Emery on Morgan Rogers substitution: "His adaptation is going ahead. Today he had minutes, taking experiences with us. I decided (to take him off) because he played more than 45 minutes. He did very good work, but I decided to change him for tactical reasons."
#AVFC
29
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954
Douglas Luiz tells
@SkySports
: "I'm very happy to hear the stories but I'm here at Aston Villa. My focus is totally here. I don't spend a lot of time looking at stories. I see them, but I don't focus on that and I'm not looking at it every day. My head is here at Villa."
#AVFC
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946
Calum Chambers on Instagram: "No matter what, I train my hardest every day to make sure I’m at the best level I can be to perform! Picking up these 3 points is exactly what I work for!"
#AVFC
12
16
954
Emi Martinez on winning the Yashin Trophy: "I'm full of emotion to have won this. Without my teammates at Aston Villa and in the Argentina national team, this wouldn't have been possible – this moment in my career."
#AVFC
1
45
944
Nassef Sawiris stood on the touchline to greet every
#AVFC
player before kick-off at Tottenham yesterday.
Then he watched the club he bought as a Championship team climb into the top four of the Premier League with their ninth win of the season - no side has more after 13 games.
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939
A huge boost for Aston Villa as Ezri Konsa returns to training at Bodymoor Heath. He has missed the last four games in all competitions after spraining his knee in the win at Sheffield United.
#AVFC
13
40
929
John McGinn on overcoming Lille: "You see the same faces, the die-hards. It is brilliant to see them enjoying these nights. We did not want to ruin any plans they have made. It is just great to see us getting this club back to where it belongs."
#AVFC
9
28
925
Clement Lenglet's goal should have stood and was incorrectly called offside by VAR.
Youri Tielemans: "We've been told it was a mistake from them [to disallow Lenglet's goal] and they apologised. In the end it's OK."
#AVFC
62
83
913
#AVFC
's Tyrone Mings has this season won a greater share of his ground and aerial duels than all but one of the other 19 centre-backs Gareth Southgate has called up to an England squad.
Mings has also kept 14 clean sheets in 17 caps - he hasn't put a foot wrong for England 🏴
36
83
900
Unai Emery: "It's not for me, it's for Aston Villa. Now we have 63 points and we're closer to the top five. It's the only thought I had before the match. It's the same three points we'll play for next Saturday. This is the level we want to be at."
#AVFC
10
32
916
It's been quite the week for
#AVFC
...
✅ Arsenal 2-0
✅ Qualify for the UECL semi-finals
✅ Bournemouth 3-1
6
44
917
John McGinn: "The stadium felt quite flat at the end. It's important to recognise it's a victory against a very good team. Lille played really well tonight and I think they showed us how tough it's going to be next week."
#AVFC
|
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31
912
✍️ |
#AVFC
's Matt Targett has made more tackles, blocks and recorded a higher dribbling success rate of any other Premier League left-back this season.
Targett has made dramatic improvements in the space of months - what a season for Tigs 👏
Read more:
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51
885
#AVFC
have scored 71 goals in all competitions so far this season. There's some crazy numbers across the squad...
Ollie Watkins - 28 G/A in 32 apps
Leon Bailey - 19 G/A in 31 apps
Douglas Luiz - 14 G/A in 33 apps
John McGinn - 12 G/A in 34 apps
Moussa Diaby - 11 G/A in 32 apps
8
67
894
✍️ |
#AVFC
's Ezri Konsa is the only defender left in the Premier League yet to be dribbled past by an opponent this season.
Konsa has been working closely with John Terry before training and after matchdays to review clips of his performances.
Read more:
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873
The Marvelous Nakamba Foundation is changing lives in Zimbabwe, from fighting child marriage to funding food programmes and paying for school fees.
#AVFC
's Nakamba is a "champion for aspiring footballers and vulnerable children in society," says one publication in Zimbabwe 🇿🇼
12
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AZ's Møller-Wolfe on Villa: "I've never played against such a good team. When we tried to press them high they just went in behind us, and when we stayed they played in between us.
"That said, I don't see why we can't go to Villa Park in a few weeks and beat them."
#AVFC
16
71
877
Few centre-backs could replace what Pau Torres gives
#AVFC
on the ball, but Clement Lenglet has been a smart addition.
He suffered with illness against Sheffield Utd, but was excellent today, winning all of his ground and aerial duels while recording 84 per cent pass completion.
28
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Unai Emery: "I want to explain to the players how we can react to pressure and provocation from them. It was something I don't want in our behaviour."
#AVFC
14
31
863
Unai Emery's post on Instagram after meeting Gordon Cowans at Villa Park this evening. He just gets it.
#AVFC
6
39
871
#AVFC
players make their way over to the travelling fans. They were the 12th man today. Much-needed response.
3
64
863
Pep Guardiola says Phil Foden is the POTS so far, but I disagree - nobody is enjoying a better campaign than
#AVFC
's Ollie Watkins.
He has the most G/A in the PL and more goal-creating actions than any player in Europe's big 5 leagues, yet his game is about more than just goals.
19
48
862
#AVFC
boss Unai Emery: "I'm very demanding because I want to do something in football, in the Premier League.
"I want to share this challenge with the players, the owners, club, supporters. The history of Aston Villa is big. I want to try to write here our proper history."
11
37
853
Unai Emery's programme notes: "I don't like the word pressure. Pressure is what the teams feel to avoid relegation or even, in everyday life, the real pressure is what every family feels to get income to raise a family. We don't have pressure. We have an opportunity."
#AVFC
10
53
852
Unai Emery: "Hopefully I can stay here [Villa] for a long time. This is a challenge at Villa for me to develop as a coach and how I can take or face some ambitious challenges. I was thinking this was my moment to get this opportunity and I'm not going to stop in my mind."
#AVFC
28
58
835
Unai Emery has given his players Monday and Tuesday off after a gruelling few weeks.
#AVFC
have boosted their chances of silverware and Champions League qualification in the last three weeks, playing seven games in that time 🤯
10
32
841
Ollie Watkins has hit back at Simon Jordan after his comments before
#AVFC
's win at Arsenal on Sunday.
"I put talkSPORT on going to training and heard Simon Jordan saying he's not worried about me or Villa causing Arsenal problems. Nice for him to eat his own words."
23
41
837
Unai Emery on Nicolo Zaniolo: "He is better, he is completely better. I like to watch him like that. He started the season a little bit with some problems, but I spoke with him and I can tell him and tell you his performances are completely better."
#AVFC
18
33
828
Douglas Luiz: "I scored two goals, I'm really happy. I was feeling this before the game. I said to my girlfriend, 'today I will score, 100 per cent'. It is a big result for us. Manchester United lost which is good too."
#AVFC
7
24
826
Unai Emery on Prince William: "It's the third time I have met him. He's welcome because he's supporting us. He is really feeling emotion with us as well! We were speaking a little bit about Aston Villa and his wishes following us, to do something this year."
#AVFC
7
43
797
Atmosphere building in Warsaw - loving this!
"𝙃𝙚'𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠, 𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙤𝙤" 🇵🇱
#AVFC
11
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789
#AVFC
's injury crisis has been ignored on the outside because Unai Emery is performing a minor miracle keeping the club in the top four.
Without injuries, Villa would still be in the title race, but you won't hear Emery complain as he never looks for excuses.
9
50
791