Villarreal CF manager, Unai Emery, has made bold statement about his ambition to go a step further with his players in the 2021/2022 season following their UEFA Europa League title-success last term, Completesports.com reports.
Emery’s bigger ambition in the new season is a challenge to Super Eagles winger, Samuel Chukwueze, and his Villarreal teammates, to brave up for for what portends a tasking new campaign.
Chukwueze is one of the great acquisitions in Villarreal squad that Emery can only hope is available, hale and hearty season-long, as he plots to make things happen for the side.
Chukwueze is still training to regain full fitness and be available for selection in the new season after recovering from an injury he sustained in May last year during Arsenal versus Villarreal – an Europa League second leg semifinal clash at the Emirates Stadium.
The 22 year old Nigeria winger netted five goals and six assists for Villarreal in 40 games across all competitions last season before the injury knocked him out.
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Villarreal ended in seventh place in the 2020/2021 Laliga campaign, and Emery wants to lead the Europa League champions to make a glorious finish this season. The Spaniard also hopes that Villarreal achieve great feat in the 2021/22 Champions League or cross over to Europa League and win it again. He also has lofty ambition in the Copa del Rey in which the Yellow Submarine were quarter-finalists last season.
Emery spoke about his new season’s goals during his pre-match press conference published on Villarrealcf.es ahead of Villarreal new Laliga season opener tonight against Granada at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
“We have a challenge and we are psyched. The team is eager to start LaLiga. We want to start winning and we play against an opponent who has changed his coach and who maintains very good players. It makes them a good team and very demanding for us,” Emery said
And on his new season ambition with Villarreal, Emery said: “This season I hope to go one step further, to improve clearly in LaLiga. We had an irregular season [in 2021/2021] and we want to improve.”
He added: “In the Cup, we want to go one step further, last season we were in the semifinals. And the challenge is to get to Europe and in the Champions League, to be able to have a good race. We don’t know what it could be, we’ll see if we go far, we can continue in the Europa League, it’s going to be there. Repeating Champions would be wonderful.”
On Villarreal’s opponent, Granada CF, in their first Laliga game of the season, Emery, hails manager Roberto Moreno factor.
“It is a team with the stamp of its coach, it has reinforced what they already had, but that adds the touch of their coach,” he said. “A team that is difficult to overcome, to which they now add a great level of ball control. They have top and quality people, which makes them have many alternatives. It’s a team we respect.”
Emery is happy that his side will host Granada in front of their fans at the Estadio de Ceramica.
“We are very happy for the return of our fans, we must improve at home with the public. This season we want to feel strengthened and comfortable,’ he concluded.
