Aston Villa Faces Early Setbacks Despite Manager’s Optimism
Aston Villa’s head coach Unai Emery expressed his disappointment after the team lost its first two matches of the Premier League season. Speaking to Match of the Day, Emery stated, “We performed like we planned and we competed like we planned. We didn’t achieve the result, of course, it’s painful. But through how we played and competed, that is the way we want to build again, to build a team like we want. The debut of some players was fantastic.”
Discussing the recent transfer window, Emery conveyed his satisfaction with the new signings, saying, “We are happy how we are closing the transfer window. We are not regretting anything. The players we have joining should be enough to build the team again with the structure we want.”
Emery also commented on player Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who was present in the stands during the match: “I don’t know if it’s official, hopefully we can close everything. We did a fantastic job in the last three years, now with the new chapter, try to rebuild the team as fast as possible.”
Reflecting on the team’s challenges this season, Emery noted, “Each year is different. We have an idea in our mind to build again and create a new chapter. We have lost two matches. We don’t want to compare with the past, we must focus on this year.”
In a notable statistic, Aston Villa has faced their first two Premier League losses of the season for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign. They are the first club to finish in the top-four the previous season (4th in 2025-26) and subsequently lose their opening two games, a feat last accomplished by Arsenal and Manchester United in 1992-93. Furthermore, Aston Villa has also made history as the first team to lose their initial matches without scoring since QPR in 1976-77.
Additionally, Aston Villa has become only the second team since Opta began tracking shot data in 2003-04 to fail to record a shot on target in their first two Premier League games of the season, joining Swansea City from 2017-18, who were later relegated.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery, speaking to Match of the Day: “We performed like we planned and we competed like we planned. We didn’t achieve the result, of course, it’s painful. But through how we played and competed, that is the way we want to build again, to build a team like we want. The debut of some players was fantastic.”
On if is excited to work with new players: “We are happy how we are closing the transfer window. We are not regretting anything. The players we have joining should be enough to build the team again with the structure we want.”
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On Taylor Harwood-Bellis watching in the stands: “I don’t know if it’s official, hopefully we can close everything. We did a fantastic job in the last three years, now with the new chapter, try to rebuild the team as fast as possible.”
On last year’s success despite a slow start and if people are quick to forget that: “Each year is different. We have an idea in our mind to build again and create a new chapter. We have lost two matches. We don’t want to compare with the past, we must focus on this year.”
Did you know?
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Aston Villa have lost their first two Premier League matches of the season for the first time since 2019-20. They are the first team to finish in the top-four of the top-flight (4th in 2025-26) and then lose their first two games of the following season since both Arsenal and Manchester United in 1992-93, and first to do so without scoring since QPR in 1976-77.
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Since Opta began recording shot data in 2003-04, Aston Villa are just the second team to fail to have a shot on target in their first two Premier League matches in a season, along with Swansea City in 2017-18 who were later relegated that season.
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