Aston Villa

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Friday's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Cardiff City at Villa Park (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Emery confirmed Pau Torres and Ross Barkley both remain out through injury, while Matty Cash is close and will be assessed on Thursday. Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Martinez, Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara and Donyell Malen are also all doubts for the game.

• On the importance of the FA Cup and whether it possesses their best chance of obtaining European football next season: "It's a way for a trophy and it's a way for Europe. The winner will play in the Europa League next year. We have three ways - Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. We are not contenders for this trophy."

• Asked why, he said "there are other teams with more options than us" and added: "To try to compete in this competition and to have a way for a trophy is very important. And then there is prestige. Every player, the club and the coaches would like one way of trying to get prestige as well."

• The Villa boss insisted that, despite facing a Championship side, they have "respect for the competition" and "respect every team that is competing in this round".

• On Villa's run in the competition and opportunity to reach the quarter finals: "We are being consistent in this competition this year. At home against West Ham and Tottenham, we played a great two matches and we won. Tomorrow is another opportunity to keep being consistent. Our demands are in different ways, individually and collectively, to get confidence, to get comfortable and to try to transmit to our supporters our wishes in this competition.

• On their busy schedule: "We're focusing on every competition, focusing on each match and how the players are recovering after playing a lot of minutes. We're looking at how we can adapt the new players in our structure. This is the task we have now."

Catch up on all of Thursday's latest football news

Full commentary of Aston Villa v Cardiff City from 20:00 GMT on Friday on BBC Radio 5 Live

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

Image source, Getty Images

"We have to be happy, because we have FA Cup on Friday, and we have Champions League next week. If we are not playing those competitions, we will rest a lot of days.

"Of course, I prefer to play in a lot of matches in different competitions like we are. But the Premier League we will play in 12 days again, and of course this is the first objective. I think we can achieve our objective."

When you speak to Unai Emery, and observe him at work, it is hard to believe that there has ever been anyone quite so besotted with football as him. More specifically, he is clearly besotted by football matches.

Occasionally, you meet a coach who leaves you with the impression that the coaching itself is the pure form of this work, and the matches are almost a disturbance. Not Emery. Although meticulous in his planning, you could imagine if he had enough resources he would manage a match every day and still never tire of it.

But the resources are the problem. Perhaps the workload is too obvious an explanation for Villa's misfiring form – especially away – this season, but it is becoming hard to see past it.

They maintained a similar schedule in the Conference League last season and still managed to finish fourth, but were clearly worn out by the end of April. Emery's annoyance last week at the scheduling of the Liverpool game was notable. While relishing the contest, he was mindful of the strain on his players.

The frustration is greater because so many points have been squandered from promising positions. Yes, every team ends a season with some what-ifs, but Villa, now 10th, have fumbled away more than enough points to put them as high as third.

Just now, they are on course to miss Europe next season, which will hurt after two years of exciting journeys, and hurt Emery most of all. They could get there through the FA Cup, but that would mean more matches, and more work.

Sacrificing one competition in the hope of enhancing chances in another does not feel right for Villa either, though. It is a wicked dilemma. Villa and Emery want it all, and why shouldn't they? But what has in many ways been Aston Villa's most memorable season for a generation may also turn out to be the most maddening.

Aston Villa v Cardiff City – live commentary on BBC Radio WM (all frequencies and BBC Sounds), Friday 20:00 GMT

Tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Aston Villa' performance against Crystal Palace.

Here are some of your comments:

Prit: As good as Villa played against Liverpool and Chelsea, this match against Palace was as bad as it gets. In Adam Wharton, Palace had by far the best player on the pitch. Villa couldn't pass, were excruciatingly slow in transition and hardly tested the goalkeeper. For the life of me, what were we thinking of putting Leon Bailey as right wing-back?

Jez: Poor defensively again and leaking goals. Plays three central defenders and still looked weak. We can't keep relying on our attacking players to get us out of trouble in games. I was surprised at the starting XI. Thought Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford would have started. Another day and VAR may have gone for us. Two goals disallowed, hit the bar and a penalty shout waived away.

Ray: Villa have become so inconsistent. The players are acting like big time Charlies and are only turning up for the high-profile games.

Gary: When we concede so many goals, why don't we accept that we can't get the level of control we want at the moment and just go for it? With so much attacking talent at our disposal, we'd surely be better off letting the handbrake off.

Aaron: Unai Emery is the best thing to happen to Villa in a very, very long time. However, he messed up on Tuesday. Poor formation selection. Just absolutely no need and we lost because of it. But we'll forgive him. We go again.

• Not an Aston Villa fan? Find and follow your team here

Image source, Getty Images

Unai Emery spoke to TNT Sports Aston Villa's defeat against Crystal Palace: "We were competing well until the first goal we conceded. Good positioning and we were dominating the match. We have one goal [ruled out].

"The first chance they had, they scored. Then they got some transitioning.

"Second half we tried to come back, but then we scored, and we were excited and motivated to try to continue controlling the game with our positioning.

"They scored the second goal, and we lost our positioning on the field, and we conceded transitions, and they scored two more goals.

"It was a tough result. We competed well, but it is not enough - we move on.

"Tried to use different players at different moments. That was the plan."

On Emi Martinez injury: "He was feeling some pain. Even yesterday, he trained well, but before the match he felt better and felt confident to play.

"At half-time he told us he was not feeling good. So we decided to change him."

On other injuries: "We have some players injured, but we will not use this excuse. We have to focus on the Premier League. Now we have two competitions [FA Cup and Champions League] to play."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Crystal Palace's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa's display?

Come back to this page on Wednesday to find a selection of your replies

Four matches make up Tuesday's Premier League action and we will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Bournemouth

• Crystal Palace v Aston Villa

• Wolves v Fulham

• Chelsea v Southampton (20:15)

All kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

David Michael
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The fact that Opta gives Aston Villa a 7% chance of clinching a top-five Premier League spot after the weekend's games suggests just how important their comeback win against Chelsea was. Three straight home draws had seen Villa lose ground on the top spots, making the victory even more crucial.

The relief and celebrations that greeted Marco Asensio's winner certainly acknowledged that Villa's league campaign still had a pulse in terms of qualifying for Europe again. They will know they need to replicate the result when top-half rivals Newcastle and Nottingham Forest visit Villa Park in the coming months.

Upcoming trips to Crystal Palace and Brentford give Villa a realistic chance of improving that Opta percentage, especially with the knowledge that key players like Pau Torres, Boubacar Kamara, Ross Barkley, and Amadou Onana should be back to reinforce the squad by the time they return from the March international break to see out the remainder of the season.

Of course, Villa have the last-16 round of both the FA Cup and Champions League in the next week to distract them, and this is where any potential league resurgence will be truly tested.

Maintaining performance levels in such a short period of time after two very promising displays against Liverpool and Chelsea will be difficult, particularly at Palace. But the next fortnight is key.

Follow-up the Chelsea win with another three points at Selhurst Park, then take care of business against Club Brugge in the Champions League and Cardiff in the FA Cup, and the final two months of the season could offer up real opportunity.

Hopefully, by then, even Opta will acknowledge that Villa's percentage chance of success will be well above 7% across all three fronts.

Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external

It looks like fifth place will get you into the Champions League next season and that is the most interesting race at the top now the title is pretty much done and dusted.

Half of the Premier League will feel they have a chance of making it and Aston Villa are definitely one of those sides in the hunt.

I am not sure Villa will pick up three points here, though.

Crystal Palace don't score many goals at home - just 12 in 13 league games this season - and they don't win that many there either, just two so far in fact.

But at the same time, Villa are not great on the road - they have only won once away in the Premier League since the middle of October.

I don't like to mention it but I was exactly right about Villa beating Chelsea 2-1 at the weekend, and I feel like they are a much easier team to predict than Palace are.

People are getting excited about what Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio will do in Unai Emery's side but I think this is a tough game for Villa, especially with the form Jean-Philippe Mateta is in for Palace.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace have won five of their past six Premier League home games against Aston Villa and beat them 5-0 at Selhurst Park last season.

The reverse fixture in November finished 2-2 – Villa have beaten the Eagles at least once in the past seven top-flight campaigns in which they have met.

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Premier League game at Crystal Palace (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• It is too early to say whether Tyrone Mings and Morgan Rogers will be available for Tuesday's game as they will be assessed after Monday's training session.

• Pau Torres is "closer" to a return after suffering a broken metatarsal in December and could return to training this week or next.

• On having better squad depth now to deal with absences: "Our job is to improve and bring in players who can add something different. Tomorrow is a very good test of how we are improving."

• He said his side have not been "defensively strong enough" which has resulted in "conceding a lot of goals" and that has to stop.

• In response to qualifying for Europe being their main focus: "It depends tomorrow on how we are responding. The league is progressing and the matches are becoming less, so we have to recover [the points] that we lost. But we are positive and we are more or less trying to be strong again, astute tactically and mentally. We did business in the transfer window and we need time to recover players. Each day and match is a test."

• On opponents Palace: "In my past two matches against them they have performed very well. They are perhaps playing even better away from home at the moment. Tactically, it is very difficult to stop them. They are astute and have players coming out on the winning side of duels."

• He said he is "excited" to see how his players respond to the quick turnaround of games after a demanding match against Chelsea.

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Villa fans

Paul: What a contrast to recent draws and building on the Liverpool game, Villa were much better when playing on the front foot in the second half. I want to see this intensity for the rest of the season even with yet more injuries. Deserved result in the end.

Prit: An absolutely vital win, especially with our rivals for European places dropping points. I still have a lot of concern with our defence, especially with Tyrone Mings still not fully recovered from his knock a few weeks ago, but the Rashford-Asensio axis is really working and is only going to get better. If we only keep Rashford and Asensio for this season, I hope these next few games gives them the necessary confidence and and put them in the shop window. But, if they could stay next season... well you never know where that would take us!

Mark: We didn't play well but Rashford made the difference in the second half. Still a lot to play for. If we could only keep the centre-backs fit.

Mike: Marco Asensio is undeniably playing his way to a permanent transfer. What a signing he'd be. Unai Emery looks like he's got into Marcus Rashford's head already too and we're beginning to see the real player he's always been. Villa should be one of those teams opponents fear for the ability to impose their game plan and find a way to get a result. No visitor to Villa Park should ever be comfortable with a one-goal lead these days.

Chelsea fans

Chris: Another frustrating, pathetic display from Chelsea. So negative, more passes back to the back four than forward. Reece James is wandering around in midfield as a shadow of his former self and Cole Palmer seems disinterested at present. I can't even bother to talk about our goalkeeper situation, having missed another transfer window and not rectified the situation, plus the blatant need for a striker who can score! Destined for a mid-table finish at this rate!

Jerry: The definition of madness is doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different outcome.

Chris: Another poor showing with no signs of improvement. No grit and no ability to win ugly. We lack a keeper, a dominant central defender and, above all else, an out-and-out striker. If we don't get a big lead in games, we always look likely, like here, to collapse. A promising start faded into yet another predictable finish.

Dave: We had all week to prepare while Villa had a tough game. Yet, they were better and had more energy in the second half. It's obvious Chelsea are not playing for Enzo Maresca - it's obvious. We are in trouble.

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Leicester and Brentford.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 0-1 West Ham

• Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea

Adam Millington
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa were doing everything they could in the final third, but they weren't getting what they required.

Then, Unai Emery brought Marcus Rashford on at half-time and found the key to tipping the balance.

Rashford was introduced with Villa losing 1-0 and they ended up snatching victory, thanks to him twice setting up fellow new recruit Marco Asensio, who scored his first two goals for the club.

It was a promising display from Villa on Saturday, who swiftly composed themselves after early lapses allowed Chelsea to snatch the advantage.

They played some excellent football in the final third, with the vision of Youri Tielemans and John McGinn setting up nice moves. Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rogers then made good runs to get in behind.

Rashford replaced Rogers and improved on the work which was already being done, with the Manchester United loanee showing a clear sense of drive and desire as he worked tirelessly to help his side to victory.

While there were definite areas of improvement for Villa as a Chelsea goalkeeping mistake gifted them the eventual winner, the work of Asensio and Rashford was a striking positive.