Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has confirmed he has no plans to appoint his own captain and is happy for John McGinn to keep the armband. McGinn was named the club’s skipper by former boss Steven Gerrard back in the summer and replaced Tyrone Mings. The centre-back was removed of the responsibility so he could focus solely on his own performances. Gerrard’s decision was criticised by many, but McGinn has grown into the role as the season has unfolded. Under Emery, the 28-year-old had started three of Emery’s first four Premier League matches in charge, but hasn’t featured since the win over Tottenham Hotspur due to injury. Asked about the captaincy,
Unai Emery said: “I’m not changing that (captaincy). I’m happy with him. His commitment is very important for me and for us. His qualities, his mentality. I’m not changing the rules we had. I kept the rules when I arrived here. He’s been with us in the squad and maybe on the starting XI. He’s competitive, very competitive. If you have to defend, he’s there. If you have to attack, he’s there. If you have to make one tactical change, he’s very professional. He will do it. Then, you look at his skills. He can play outside, inside, on the right – on the left. I like him very much.”
Villa have been in an indifferent run of form lately, with two wins in their last four, but a 4-2 defeat against Leicester City last time out was a frustrating way to open the month of February. Emery insists Villa are still learning his methods, but consistency will be key if his side are to achieve their goals.
Unai Emery said: “We are in a process and have to take our time., we have to be patient. You have to analyse each match and the players individually. When I arrived here, we were near the bottom. We’ve won five matches from eight. Of course, the last match against Leicester was very different. If we’d won those three points that would have helped us in a very positive way. But we didn’t win. We’re realistic now. When I arrived here we had to escape from the bottom and now, in my mind, there’s nothing different. We need to be consistent. We need to achieve a regularity in our way. Try to be in the top ten if we can. Last week was the first time we had a challenge and didn’t do it. It’s going to be very difficult against Manchester City. But the process has started, the process is being analysed the process is to progress as soon as possible. But we have to be patient. We have to be consistent and improve every day. That’s the challenge I have here. We need time to take good decisions, the right decision, now and in the future. We have to be patient though and make the right decision.”
