Youri Tielemans has been promised a chance at Villa and Unai Emery has urged every player to “be ready” as the season picks up speed.
Emery didn’t mind that the Belgian midfielder made public his want to speak with the head coach about the matter, saying that he wants players who are willing to compete for positions.
“With him,” he added, “I am very happy.” “I meet with the players both individually and collectively, and I have the same message for everyone: Try to be competitive, try to be ready, and try to get our best performances, both individually and collectively.”
As Emery said, “I like players when they are not playing, they are asking how they can improve, how they can be close to starting in the starting XI.”
The first of seven games that Villa will play in the next 23 days will be against Crystal Palace today. On Thursday, Legia Warsaw will open their Europa Conference League group stage campaign in Poland. Emery is optimistic that his team can compete on all fronts, but he acknowledges that the upcoming weeks will be the first real test of their depth.
“I must prepare the players in the same tactical concept, being strong and attempting to be in the starting XI,” he stated.
“However, the players waiting on the bench must also be prepared to step up when necessary. Being competitive is the idea.
“The concept I want to build here is a strong squad with the players and a strong mentality, trying to be competitive with everyone being ready to play and when they do, to get the best performances,” said the coach.
“We will undoubtedly succeed in achieving the best goal if we raise our level with the players.”
Although Emery admitted that some of Villa’s foreign players had just recently made their way back to Bodymoor, he continued, “We are going to face other teams with the same talents and conditions.
The premier LeagueP is played at a very high level, therefore we must be prepared to use our players as effectively as possible, sometimes even knowing that starting from the bench will be crucial.