Aston Villa manager Unai Emery admitted that the Premier League remains the absolute focus.

As the season enters its crucial and intense phase, Aston Villa will face Fulham away in the 34th round of the Premier League this Saturday.

Before the match, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery gave an interview to the media, providing an in-depth analysis of the severe challenges the team is currently facing and clarifying the core strategy for the final sprint of the season.

Speaking about their upcoming opponent, Emery frankly admitted it would be a tough match. He said, "We've shown good form recently against West Ham, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest. But the real challenge tomorrow is how we can continue that performance away from home in the Premier League."

Emery specifically pointed out that it had been a long time since the team last won an away game in the Premier League, which underscores the difficulty of securing three points away from home. Furthermore, he highly praised Fulham's manager and players, considering them a consistently strong and reliable team.

When discussing the team's multi-front campaign, Emery gave an extremely clear priority order, with the Premier League being the absolute top priority. Although Aston Villa's successful advancement to the Europa League semi-finals has greatly encouraged the entire team, the experienced coach remains extremely calm and pragmatic.

“We could very well be eliminated from the Europa League, or even reach the final and lose. If we fail in the cup competition, we can only rely on our league performance to achieve our goals for next season,” Emery soberly analyzed. “Therefore, the most important thing is always our final ranking when the league ends in round 38.”

Facing the pressure of competing on two fronts, Emery is taking a steady and methodical approach. This weekend's match against Craven Cottage is not only a test of Aston Villa's away form, but also a crucial battle for them to solidify their key league position.

Image source: Internet/Aston Villa official website