Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is backing his team to use their Champions League clash with Club Brugge to kickstart their season after a slow opening. The Guardian reports that Villa travel to Belgium on Tuesday without a win from their first four matches of the new campaign, mirroring their sluggish start from the previous year.
Emery's side drew 0-0 at Hull City last Saturday, registering just one shot on target in the process. That result left them with two points from their opening three Premier League fixtures. The manager, however, remains characteristically calm and points to the club's recent history of recovering from similar situations. "When we started the project here, the ambition we had, it was not even in our highest expectations to be in Europe four years in a row," Emery said.
How did Villa recover last season?
Last season, Aston Villa failed to win any of their first six matches across all competitions. The breakthrough finally came in their seventh game, a 1-0 Europa League victory over Bologna secured by a John McGinn goal. That win in late September ignited an extraordinary run of 17 victories from their next 19 games, a sequence that propelled them up the table and ultimately to Europa League glory. Emiliano Buendía, who featured in that key match against Bologna, is hopeful the new-look squad can find similar momentum. "It has not been the start we wanted, but we are trying to take the positive things from every match," the Argentine said. "We will try to change this momentum."
Half of the 14 players involved in that win over Bologna have now left the club. Emery has overseen significant squad changes this summer, integrating 11 new signings. Only two of those arrivals, Zion Suzuki and Nicolas Jackson, started the match at Hull. Key additions like Leon Goretzka, signed on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, are currently sidelined with injury and will not feature until October at the earliest. Fans can track the availability of the full squad on the club's injuries page.
What is the challenge facing Emery's new signings?
Integrating a large number of new players has been a deliberate process under Emery. The manager is known for taking his time to bed signings into his system, a approach exemplified by Youri Tielemans' four-month wait for his first Villa start before becoming a regular. "In football, if you are expecting transition, maybe you are not in the right way," Emery remarked last month. "We have to rebuild the team as fast as possible."
Among the summer arrivals are young talents like 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye, who was an unused substitute for Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup final against Villa less than a month ago. Another, Johan Manzambi, is stepping up his fitness after a knee injury and could be in contention for Saturday's match against Nottingham Forest. The club's summer business and current player roster are detailed on the official squad list.
Why is the Club Brugge match significant?
Tuesday's fixture marks the fourth meeting between Aston Villa and Club Brugge in the past two years, with European competition repeatedly providing a catalyst for Villa's campaigns. After their winless start last season, the victory over Bologna in the Europa League proved to be the turning point. Emery is now looking for history to repeat itself in the Champions League. Returning to Europe's premier club competition after winning the Europa League last season is considered one of the Spaniard's greatest achievements at Villa Park.
The team's current standings show the need for an upturn in domestic form, but Emery is focused on the immediate challenge in Belgium. He maintains his demanding standards, often appearing more critical after a victory than a defeat. Captain John McGinn recalled an instance where Emery lost his cool at half-time not because of poor play, but because he saw McGinn wasting energy berating teammates instead of focusing on solutions. This careful, solution-oriented approach is what Emery is counting on to steer Villa back on course. The team's next test after Bruges is a Premier League home fixture against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, September 12th.
