Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has insisted he will focus on improving the mentality of the squad, specifically the youngsters he has available.
The Spanish boss was confirmed as the new Villa boss earlier this month, electing to leave Villarreal to move to Villa Park following Steven Gerrard’s departure.
He arrives at the club with a big reputation in the game following a success, trophy laden spell with Sevilla and time in charge of Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.
He was also successful at Villarreal, building a highly competitive team on a modest budget that not only won the Europa League, the first European trophy in the club’s history, but also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.
Aston Villa will be hoping for more of the same, with their ownership having spent big to assemble an expensive squad full of talent that should be competing for Europa League football at a minimum.
First, though, Emery will need to build the right culture at the club and speaking at the recent Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, the Aston Villa manager detailed his strategy.
“They must already have some skills, but the most important thing is their mentality, that they have a real hunger to improve, to learn, because talent alone is not enough.
“Putting young players in and being competitive from day one is not easy to achieve, but it is the first step, and it is essential to give them confidence at all times. You have to work specifically with them, correct them and take care of them.
“We have to help the youngsters to develop a winning mentality, because that is the key to reaching the elite, that is what makes the difference.
“When you lose a game it’s also important to work on that competitive mentality and to improve, to work hard. The biggest clubs create that mentality and encourage it: first we have to be competitive and then we will win. That process is fundamental.”
