Emery demands better from Villa despite strong start

Unai Emery is not satisfied with Aston Villa’s performance levels despite their impressive start to the Premier League season, demanding a step up when they go to Ipswich Town.

Villa have won four of their five Premier League games this season to sit third in the table, just one point adrift of pacesetters Manchester City.

Emery’s team fought back to beat Midlands rivals Wolves 3-1 last week before overcoming Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup in midweek, while they also started their Champions League campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win at Young Boys.

Despite seeing his team win three straight Premier League games ahead of their trip to Portman Road, Emery wants more.

“Ipswich will be different but difficult, like the match before. We are trying to build a team. We have to try to get stronger tactically with our players,” Emery said.

“We want to increase our levels individually and collectively through them and the process has been positive because we are getting points in this way.

“But of course, we have to improve a lot of things. The match we played against Wolverhampton was very good to analyse deeply how we were playing.

“We are winning but we are needing to change something to improve because maybe, in our matches, it is not enough to get to the other side like we are.”

Ipswich, meanwhile, are one of six teams yet to register a Premier League victory this season, though they did deny fellow promoted club Southampton last time out, Sam Morsy netting a stunning 95th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

Boss Kieran McKenna has hailed his captain’s tendency to pop up with crucial goals, though he feels the Egyptian needs to work on his celebration.

“It was one of the shortest knee-slides I’ve seen so I think there’s a bit of work to do on the technique of the slide!” McKenna said.

“He’s scored a few big goals for us to be fair and he’s always come up with a slightly different celebration so maybe he isn’t a regular enough scorer to have a stock one.

“If he can keep popping up with big goals, he can do whatever he wants!”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Ipswich Town – Arijanet Muric

Although he only has one Premier League clean sheet in 14 games for Burnley and Ipswich, according to Opta’s expected goals on target (xGoT) model, Muric has prevented 9.4 goals in the competition (21 goals conceded from an xGoT of 30.4).

That is the best prevention rate of any goalkeeper in the Premier League since he made his debut on March 16. He may have a busy game ahead of him this weekend.

Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins

Since Emery’s first Aston Villa game in November 2022, only Erling Haaland (66) and Mohamed Salah (59) have been involved in more Premier League goals than Watkins (53 – 35 goals, 18 assists).

Watkins has five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) to his name in all competitions this season and could get some joy against an Ipswich defence that has given up 11.09 expected goals against (xGA) this season – the sixth-worst figure in Europe’s top five leagues.

MATCH PREDICTION – ASTON VILLA WIN

Ipswich have only won one of their 10 previous Premier League games against Villa (two draws, seven defeats), triumphing 1-0 at Villa Park back in March 1994.

The Tractor Boys are winless through their first five games of the campaign, drawing three and losing two. They last had a longer winless run at the start of a top-flight season in 1982-83, failing to win any of their first six but ultimately finishing in the top half.

Ipswich have actually drawn their last three league matches, last drawing more successive games as a Championship club between February and March 2017. They last had a longer run of draws as a top-flight side in 1992 (five between August and September).

Villa come in as favourites, as they look to win their first three away games in a Premier League season for just the second time, previously doing so in 2020-21.

Emery has won nine of 10 league games against newly promoted clubs as Villa boss, including all four to take place on the road. Overall, he has a win percentage of 78% (14 wins, two draws, two defeats) in 18 meetings with Premier League new boys.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Ipswich Town – 26.2%

Aston Villa – 49%

Draw – 24.8%