Aston Villa earned a second 0-0 stalemate of the campaign at Everton. They have not overcome the faults of a slow start to the Premier League season, but Unai Emery saw signs of improvement.
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‘This is the way to recover’
Villa have had a poor start to the season. In August, they held on with ten men for a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United, then lost to Brentford and Crystal Palace, giving away four goals without reply. Their scoreless streak continued at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but the support has stayed strong.
“Firstly, grateful for the supporters, because they were in the stadium, supporting and helping us.”
Emery's men have lost their unbeaten record in front of their fans after the defeat to the Eagles at Villa Park. But their fans can cultivate one of the best atmospheres across English football, and the Basque believes that he can get the best out of the group if the fans stick by them for a little longer.
“Of course, always, we are so, so grateful. We are feeling stronger with them. We needed to compete, we needed to keep a clean sheet and we need as well to continue improving and building the team.”
Emery sent on Harvey Elliott and Victor Lindelof for the first time off the bench after deadline day moves from Liverpool and Man United. He was happy with their contributions to the performance.
“This is the way to recover again our confidence, our structure with the players that we added last week as well – understanding tactically and playing with our idea and as well with our demands.”
The guests needed to get back to basics against a high-flying Everton, who have given a second wind to Jack Grealish. A second point of the season has given the squad a foundation ahead of their trip to Brentford in the third round of the Carabao Cup and clash against Sunderland over the next week.
“I will be consistent on the thing we have to improve and the things we did like we needed, showing the commitment the players showed, trying to individually and collectively achieve our objective.”
