Aston Villa's Emi Martinez confident of silverware and Champions League qualification
Emi Martinez is confident he can achieve his ambition of winning silverware and playing in the Champions League with Villa after branding Unai Emery one of the top five managers in the world.
The Argentina World Cup winning goalkeeper is confident Villa are on their way to the top under the Spaniard, who this week marked one year at the helm.
Villa sit fifth in the Premier League and tonight face AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League.
Martinez, who has never been shy in stating his big ambitions, reiterated them when speaking in Holland last night.
He said: “If you look at my first interviews at the club it has always been about winning the Champions League and winning a trophy.
“I believe since day one that I will leave this club one day with silverware or winning Champions League.
“It’s a club which wants to be in Champions League and win a trophy. The main conversation with Unai was how do we get there?
“There are plans to extend Villa Park as well. Like I said when I joined the club, I’m not here to waste time. Since I joined we’ve been moving forward. That is the main reason I want to put Aston Villa in a Champions League place and try to win silverware, that is for sure.”
Martinez, who can expect a hot reception in Alkmaar after last year’s World Cup quarter-final win over the Netherlands, believes Emery is now a better manager than the one he worked with at Arsenal.
“When he (Emery) signed for the club I was over the moon,” he said. “I knew how well he worked but he surprised me in how he has developed as a manager as well.
“His second time in the Premier League he was more prepared than he was at Arsenal. He can make more decisions here, rather than just listen to the people above. I’m glad he’s with us, for me he’s one of the top five managers in the world right now.
“I think his English improved a lot and that’s helped him. I know how hard it is for Spanish people to come in and learn the language.
“He is electric one of those managers who likes to talk and is very demanding. That is probably what we needed at the club. He loves meetings, he loves training. If he can train one, two or three hours he will. I love training as well, he’s the right manager for the club.”
