Aston Villa’s summer rebuild has left Unai Emery facing a difficult task despite signs his new-look team are beginning to click, according to former Villa defender Phil Bardsley.
Villa underwent enormous change after winning the Europa League and finishing fourth in the Premier League last season.
Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Martinez and Lucas Digne were among the major departures.
Our breakdown of Aston Villa’s new-look XI after the summer rebuild showed the scale of the transformation facing Emery.
Bardsley believes that turnover explains some of Villa’s difficult opening weeks.
Bardsley delivers Aston Villa rebuild verdict
Speaking to Lyllo Casino, with the comments reported by BirminghamLive, Bardsley said: “I think the spine of the team has been completely dismantled, hasn’t it?”
The former Villa loanee added that recovering from losing so many important players would inevitably be difficult for Emery.
There have at least been encouraging signs.
Villa entered the international break after securing their first Premier League victory of the season, with Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia scoring in a dramatic 3-2 win at Tottenham.
Manzambi and Jackson were both summer arrivals, providing an early indication that Emery’s rebuilt side can begin replacing the production Villa lost.
Bardsley nevertheless believes the manager’s reputation will continue attracting outside attention because of what he has achieved at Villa Park.
For Villa, the challenge after the international break is turning the Tottenham breakthrough into sustained evidence that another Emery team is taking shape.
