Exclusive: Matty Cash talks about ‘amazing’ Unai Emery’s influence, World Cup ambitions and reliving the 7-2 win over Liverpool

It’s been a great start to the season for Matty Cash.

In an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, the Poland international detailed why he felt it was the right time to extend his stay at the club.

“It’s great to be able to commit my future to a football club,” he said. “I’ve only been here for a little while, but I’m happy to be here for many more years.

“There were a lot of important factors behind my decision. I really love playing here, I feel very settled and obviously the manager played a big role in my decision after having so much success as a group.”

“The fans have played a part, and I think we’ve been through some tough times with them, but I want to continue to grow, continue to play well, and hopefully achieve even more success as a club.”

The Villains have had an underwhelming start to the season, failing to win their opening six games in all competitions.

Villa have since gone on a four-game winning streak in the Premier League, but the defender refuses to get carried away with the team’s return to form.

“We want to win trophies and do well in the Premier League, but we are taking every game as it comes,” he said.

“I know it sounds cliché, but everyone is talking about it and we just want to take it one day at a time and win as many games as possible.”

Highlights: Captain McGinn leads Villa to victory

Video credit: TNT Sports

“I wanted to grab the headlines.”

If Cash continues to score goals this season, Villa are likely to win far more games than they lose.

The full-back scored a stunning win as Villa secured a third successive home victory against Man City.

“It was great. I was hoping they wouldn’t score at the end because I wanted to get the headlines,” he says with a laugh.

“It’s always great to score in a game, but it felt great to score a decent goal against City, which we won.

“The next day I was really excited to sign a new contract, so it was really great.”

Cash has already scored two goals this season and needs three more to equal Villa’s five goals in 2023-24.

Is he doing anything different compared to last season?

“I don’t set too many goals for myself because I don’t want to think too much while playing,” he explained.

“Before, I might have set some goals for myself, but now I don’t think I have to get 10 goals or 10 assists this season. So I just play my game and have as much fun as I can. I try to take the pressure off myself when it comes to numbers.”

But there’s one thing Cash has his sights set on this season.

“My big goal this year is to get Poland to the World Cup,” he says. “I played in the last World Cup and it was a great experience and I loved it. To play away to France in the last 16 was incredible.

“We want to do our best for qualification and we are in a good position and the important thing is to qualify for the tournament, whether it’s the play-offs or finishing first in the group, which will be difficult because Holland are doing so well. But I just want to be there. It will be great for all of us.”

Matty Cash takes on Kylian Mbappé at the 2022 World Cup.

Image credit: Getty Images

“His life is football.”

Speaking to Cash, his respect for Villa manager Unai Emery and his coaching staff oozes out, and you can understand the reasoning behind that.

The Spaniard arrived from Villarreal and was set to take charge at Villa Park in October 2022, when the club were one place above the relegation zone.

Manager Emery has brought about a remarkable turnaround in the club’s fortunes after leading the club back into European football with impressive wins over every club in the league’s ‘big six’ over the past three years.

Cash previously addressed Emery’s role in extending his stay at the club and detailed why the manager should be considered one of the best managers in the world.

Emery ‘very proud’ of Villa after ‘great win’ at Feyenoord

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“I have a really good relationship with him,” he explained. “I’m working a lot with him and the coaches to improve my game and get better as a player.

“Over the past three seasons, I have definitely improved in all aspects, not only defensively but also forward. I love working under him and he has contributed greatly to the success of the club.

“Not only has he helped me develop as a player and as a person, but from a club-wide perspective, he has helped us qualify for Europe, from the Conference League to the Champions League and now in the Europa League.

“The demands he brings are great and I think every player has developed and taken to another level since he joined the club.”

The criticism appears to have paid off as Villa turned their season around, with Cash explaining that Emery’s mentality and dedication to his craft is what brings out the best in the group.

“He doesn’t necessarily put pressure on us, but he expects a lot from us,” he said. “In training you have to look at it every day and adjust, and it’s not just him, but his coaching staff too, because he’s demanding of them.

“I think that’s the only way to be successful at a football club. We have a manager who is very knowledgeable about winning and developing, and the key to success is to work hard. There’s a difference between working, working well and working hard.”

“Many people will say they work hard, but in reality they don’t work that hard. Managers are a great example of someone who is dedicated to everything they do.

“His life is football and he does everything to win by setting the game plan and giving us different ideas and scenarios to win games. That’s why we’ve done so well in recent years.”

“One of the best results in the Premier League”

Emery has turned the club into strong contenders for European qualification, but Villa’s performances against Liverpool have so far failed to turn things around.

The Villans have not tasted victory at Anfield in the Premier League since 2014, with their last win against the Reds in the competition coming in October 2020, and it was a memorable fixture.

Cash played 80 minutes at Villa Park on that famous day, and everything came together for his team as they secured a stunning 7-2 victory over Jurgen Klopp’s reigning league champions.

“It seems like a long time now, but for as long as I can remember, it was a lot of fun,” Cash recalls with a smile.

“Unfortunately we were in lockdown so it would have been better to have fans in the stadium, but beating Liverpool 7-2 at home was probably one of the best results in the Premier League.

Ollie Watkins celebrates scoring hat-trick in monumental win against Liverpool

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“It was great to be able to contribute to that result and there were some good performances from Ollie (Watkins) during the game, including a hat-trick, so I was happy for him and it was great for everyone.”

Many won’t be expecting the same scoreline, but Arne Slott’s side have lost four consecutive league games, so Villa supporters heading to Anfield will be confident of getting a result.

“They are obviously not playing very well at the moment, but things could change given the quality of the team.

“As a footballer, I know how quickly things can change. They are a great club, they have a very good team and they can hurt someone at any time, so we will be prepared for that.”

But are Liverpool ready to cash in?

The Villa man jumps into this game after an excellent week, but if he can get on the scoresheet those on Merseyside might get to see Cash show off his new golf swing.

Is there something behind his new celebration?

“I play golf, and I’m actually pretty good at it, so I thought I’d try something different,” he laughs.

Is there anything special you do to prepare for scoring at Anfield?

“I’ve been telling myself that next time I score I’ll do something new, but I’m not going to think about it,” he says. “If you think too much, you won’t get any points.”

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