- Aston Villa face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup next before a clash with Everton
- The former Arsenal boss has established Villa as one of the best in the country
- Did defeat by Man United expose a chink in Aston Villa’s armour? It’s All Kicking Off
Unai Emery backed his players to deliver a spectacular 2024 after Aston Villa ended 2023 level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The Villa manager has established his team as one of the strongest side in England, but he believes they can do even better.
After his side needed a late penalty from Douglas Luiz to edge past 10-man Burnley, Emery said: ‘We have good players and if we work hard we can achieve the dreams and objectives we set ourselves.
‘The idea is always to improve. We’ve had a really fantastic year but I’m very excited for our next match, against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup, and our next league match against Everton.
‘When I arrived [at Villa] it was all about getting better and breaking into the top 10. We are not contenders to finish in the top four, but if we are still there after 30 or 32 games, that will be our opportunity to get in.’
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery insisted his can get even better after a staggeringly good 2023
They needed a penalty from Douglas Luiz to edge past Burnley and will finish the year level on points with Liverpool, who are top of the Premier League table
Even though Sander Berge was sent off in the second half, Burnley were level heading into the closing minutes when Aaron Ramsey upended Jhon Duran and Douglas Luiz converted the penalty.
Emery joked: ‘I believed in my kicker. He had taken two very bad corners before that so he had to put it right.’
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