25 January 2024 , 22:30
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Unai Emery says it is 'clear' that Mauricio Pochettino is working his magic at Chelsea.
Aston Villa's boss has warned his high-fliers that staging a repeat of their Premier League triumph at Stamford Bridge last September will be tougher on Friday. Emery said: "Chelsea are developing a lot, tactically, they look comfortable now.
“And they are successful after reaching the final of the Carabao Cup. They are getting progressively better in the league. They are getting stronger. The development is clear, they are improving and I think this is going to be a very difficult match for us. Chelsea are contenders in this competition.”
Emery is battling on three fronts going into the second half of the campaign. He is targeting a top-four finish and wants to go deep in the FA Cup and Europa Conference League.
Villa have not been in such rude health for 15 years when they were similarly placed - and ended up with nothing under Martin O’Neill. Emery said he is not concentrating specifically on one goal, instead he is wants to attack every competition.
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He added: “We held a meeting with the players and we told them we could end up playing 30 matches over the last four months of the season. Seven in the Europa Conference League, five in the FA Cup plus 17 in the Premier League.
“Or, they could play 20 if we do not progress in the cups. We will go into it with the best players we have and we’ll be focused. I don’t want to waste one game not being competitive and trying to improve. I like playing different competitions. They are all very important to us.”