‘No excuses’ - Unai Emery makes Aston Villa point fans will adore before Newcastle United clash

Unai Emery says there are no excuses to be had ahead of Aston Villa’s crucial Premier League tie against Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.

Asked about the issue of injuries piling up at Villa Park following Leon Bailey’s premature substitution in the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, the head coach was adamant his side would cope just fine.

“We have some injuries, but we have to carry on, we can’t use this as an excuse,” Emery said with real certainty to brush away any concerns for himself, his team, or Villa supporters.

“We are in the key moment [of our season] and we are only thinking of three points. I want to build and create a strong way, we have to be consistent and progressively improve,” Emery continued.

Although a pity that Bailey, Boubacar Kamara, Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho will miss the clash with Newcastle, it’s likely refreshing for fans to see Emery react so positively.

As has always been the case since the manager joined the club in the Autumn, there’s always a positive swing when there are negatives – and it’s seemingly paying off for squad morale.

It’ll be a difficult task with Newcastle in such outstanding form, but if Villa were to beat Saturday’s opposition, European football would start to look like a real possibility.