“I’m very happy for him – but of course hopefully on Sunday he is not performing in his best way!”
Unai Emery beams a big smile. Nicolas Jackson will be a major threat to his Aston Villa side when they go to Chelsea on Super Sunday but Emery knows the forward better than most.
The Villa boss gave Jackson his first-team debut at Villarreal in 2021. When the in-form Chelsea striker signed a contract extension at Stamford Bridge in September he made a point to thank Emery for the technical and tactical development he gave him during their full season together in Spain.
“He was starting the pre-season with the U21s and when he was progressively coming to train with us, he was showing his potential,” remembers Emery during a conversation with Sky Sports at Villa’s training ground.
“We worked during the one year on his skill, he improved his understanding better, how he could exploit his potential. And playing minutes and getting experiences was the next step.
“But his attitude as well was fantastic. He was always learning. He was always demanding to train more, to be focused. He was also being a professional every day out of training sessions at home because he was focused on football like the first priority in his life.
“And the consequences is coming. It’s coming because he signed for Chelsea. Last year he was adapting so quick, but he was progressively getting better – sometimes without the performance – and now he is showing.”
Emery is renowned for his ability to bring the best out of players. Morgan Rogers is among his current crop of rapidly improving individuals. The young England international revealed that when he was signed by Villa, Emery told him he would still see him as a Championship player until he showed his head coach otherwise. Rogers rose to the challenge – although Emery says there is much more to come from the midfielder. “His potential? We exploited at the moment only 50 per cent.”
This drive for improvement is something Emery is applying across the club. He led Villa to the top four and Champions League qualification last season. But now he is challenging everyone involved to keep on growing. While they are currently on a sticky seven-game winless run, the historic 1-0 win over Bayern Munich last month at Villa Park underlined the progress that has been made since the Spaniard took over a club only marginally above the relegation zone in October 2022.
“We are trying to use our experiences,” says Emery a few days after a draw with Italian giants Juventus kept Villa well in the hunt for a place in the Champions League knockout rounds. “The Champions League is another step forward.”
Amid this bad run of results, Emery is keeping perspective. Villa were denied a last-gasp winner against Juve, yet Emery was pleased with the performance, “how seriously we played, being really organised and disciplined”.
Clean sheets have been hard to come by in the Premier League but the visitors were largely limited at Villa Park, with Emi Martinez coming to the rescue with a super save when Juventus did finally carve out a chance.
Fit-again Kamara a key man for Villa
Boubacar Kamara was a key figure. The France midfielder is only just back from an ACL injury which had sidelined him since February but he has hit the ground running and his immediate impact on the team and the security he brings with his tackling, intercepting and impressive use of the ball is clear to see.
“When we arrived here, the first months we were working with him, he was not really settled here like he was playing in Marseille,” said Emery. “It was the adaptation. But progressively he was improving, he was feeling better and comfortable with the ball, without the ball.
“When he got injured last year, I think he was in his best moment in his progression here. But his comeback has really been strong. We watched him on Wednesday playing at a really good level and really playing like he has not been injured for eight months. It’s a very good impact.
“Of course, he was a very important player before his injury and now he’s coming again, being a very important player for us.”
Kamara will certainly be an important player for Villa on Sunday when they try to limit Jackson and co at Stamford Bridge.
Villa have finished above Chelsea in each of Emery’s two seasons so far. Doing so a third time will be a real challenge, given how well the Blues have started the season under Enzo Maresca.
“We (started) the season not being contenders to be top seven,” says Emery, again trying to put Villa’s situation into perspective. “There are other teams (who are) contenders more than us and favoured to be there.
“But we can be there like we did last year or two years ago because we were being intelligent and we were being very demanding.
“Everyone, they are trying to get very, very competitive. And this is now the more difficult challenge we have.
“We are going to face on Sunday a very good team; very good now how they are feeling with the coach and with the players they have. It is very difficult but we want to compete there.
“We want to be motivated and excited with the possibility to play a good match there and to get the points.” That would be another important – and timely – step forward for Emery’s Villa side.
