'No excuses' - but is Villa's stadium rebuild affecting team?
With Villa Park's North Stand currently closed for building work, is the reduced capacity affecting Aston Villa's performances?
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has been candid about his team's struggles at Villa Park, which is currently undergoing a major rebuild. The club plan to increase the stadium's capacity to over 50,000 to help them compete in the Premier League, but this may come at the cost of some short-term problems. Villa have yet to win a home match this season after their 2-2 draw with Brentford, and their defence has been particularly vulnerable, keeping just one clean sheet.
Despite these issues, Emery is determined to focus on improving the team's performance rather than the stadium's condition. The team has lost just once at home in European competition under Emery's leadership, and he believes they can overcome their current challenges. Villa will face Fenerbahce in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Marcos Asensio, who scored eight goals for the manager during his loan spell with Paris St-Germain, set to make his debut.
While the rebuild may present a challenge for Villa, the manager remains focused on the team's overall improvement.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Sport's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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