It has clearly been a difficult season so far for Aston Villa. The side has yet to see one of its own players score a goal themselves, and this past week saw Villa make a fairly early exit from the Carabao Cup.
Some among the fanbase are becoming increasingly frustrated with the Villa boss himself. Unai Emery is under criticism from some for how the start of the campaign has gone so far.
There are two important aspects that need to be acknowledged, however. The club has been placed under exceedingly difficult circumstances. There has been significant mental strain placed on the players, and the side has not been able to add reinforcements in the same way that the rest of the Premier League has been able to.
Due to these circumstances, it would be incredibly hard for anyone to find much success. The criticisms and even demands by some for Villa to move on from Unai Emery are completely overblown and are certainly premature.
Villa are in a difficult position. Imagine for a moment that it was anyone other than Emery in charge at the moment. The fan base would be calling for Emery to come to B6 to help the claret and blue and provide the needed system and focus to the club to turn things around. It just so happens now that factors outside of his control have tanked the tremendous amount of progress that has been made since his arrival.
Addressing recent Aston Villa developments
Certain clips from the most recent matches will perhaps make it look as if the Villa boss has lost the dressing room. Intense moments and player reactions will look different every time, however. Everyone is aware of the varying circumstances that are taking place.
If anyone is going to be able to incorporate the late newcomers and provide a sizable uptick in quality from what has been seen to this point, it is Emery. There are certainly no readily available options to hypothetically replace Emery in the event of the club moving on from the Spaniard.