Unai Emery has insisted he has no sentimentality about returning to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday to crush Arsenal’s title dreams once again. “Right now my heart is Aston Villa,” he declared. The Spanish manager never came close to winning the Premier League during his difficult 18-month spell in north London, but he continues to insist his Aston Villa team are not favorites.
However, the Spaniard effectively ended his former club’s title challenge with victory at the Emirates in April 2024, marked by a typical strategic masterclass and two late goals. Emery’s side could inflict another major setback to his former club’s title hopes after ending the Gunners’ unbeaten run at Villa Park after 17 games earlier this month.
Asked if he would be emotional about returning to Arsenal, Villa replied: “No, because I have coached for 20 years at various clubs in Spain, England and even Russia and Paris. Coming back to play for the team I previously coached means for me it’s just one more game. It’s not about anything else. It’s my responsibility to do the best job for the fans and I’m giving it my all and I want to win.”
“My heart is with San Sebastian, Real Union and Sociedad. The other clubs I have coached, my heart is part of them. Now my heart is with Aston Villa. Everything I do is about doing what is best for the fans, the owners, the players and the coach.”
Villa need to win 12 games in a row, including back-to-back away wins against Chelsea and Arsenal, to be level with the Gunners midway through the season. The former Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain and Villarreal manager was somewhat of a deride at Arsenal before Arteta took over in 2019, but he could become a serious title contender, whether he likes it or not.
His team is currently one of the best in Europe.
Arteta, known for his passionate touchline play, vowed to “torture” Villa at the Emirates after reviewing the harrowing footage of the December 6 defeat. “Let’s look back. There are some ideas and things we need to improve on. The way we lost was also very brutal, but yes, we learned from it,” Arteta said.
“If you use that motivation and that hunger in the right way, it can be a good thing.”
Despite winning six consecutive home games in the league, Arsenal are yet to beat a top-five team. They have also been helped by four own goals in their last three unconvincing games at the Emirates, including the Carabao Cup win against Crystal Palace and the 2-1 win over Brighton at the weekend.
“Yes, that’s what we want, that every opponent that comes here suffers and that for the majority of the game and against Villa we dominate like we did today,” Arteta added.
Emery, who has named Arsenal as the “favourites”, expects it to be a tough battle in the next match between both teams, who have been plagued by injuries. “Tomorrow will probably be the toughest challenge we can face because they are the best team,” he said.
The Spanish manager, who won the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, played down Villa’s chances of winning the title, saying: “For me, talking about titles doesn’t make sense for us. It’s December now.
“Dreams are free. Everyone has to dream. I have my dreams and I’m here to get them. My big dream here and as a coach is to win the Champions League. That’s my lifelong dream.”
“At every moment, I am realistic. The only dream I have right now is tomorrow’s game. There are many ways to go where I want to go, but now there is only tomorrow. After tomorrow we will see.”
