"We must be patient, and we should understand that we are rebuilding the team. Now they must get our way and demands, keeping the same mentality that we built, but with different players." That was Unai Emery's message, quoted by bbc.co.uk, after Aston Villa's scoreless opening to the league campaign. The results are thin, but the manager's point is hard to dismiss when the scale of the reset is this obvious.

Villa have not scored in their opening three Premier League games and have managed only one shot on target. Emery is not pretending that return is acceptable. He said: "Saturday was one point. It was not enough, but I am feeling optimistic about how the players are responding."

The rebuild Emery keeps pointing to

The bare numbers explain why supporters are restless. Zero goals in three league matches is a bad start by any standard, and one shot on target across that run makes it look even worse.

Emery's defence rests on how much of the side has changed. Six of the starting XI from Villa's Europa League victory have departed Villa Park, so this is not a minor refresh around the edges. It is a rebuild of the team and, more specifically, of the forward line.

That context also gives more weight to one detail from his working methods. Emery said his meetings can last anywhere between 90 minutes and two hours. That tells you what he expects from his players tactically and mentally, but it also tells you why he is asking for time. New signings are not being dropped into a loose system. They are being asked to absorb a lot, quickly.

You can argue that elite teams still need to create more than Villa have created. That is true. But writing off the attack after three matches would skip over how many moving parts Emery is trying to settle at once.

The new forward line still looks raw

The clearest example is Nicolas Jackson. He has started Villa's past two games, the defeat by Arsenal and Saturday's draw at Hull, but he has only 71 Premier League minutes for the club so far. That is nowhere near enough to claim the partnership patterns are settled around him.

Emery's public backing for Alejandro Garnacho, quoted by bbc.co.uk as calling him "clearly a Premier League player", fits the same theme. Villa are betting on upside, but upside rarely arrives fully formed in September.

The wider attacking burden has already shifted. Morgan Rogers has one Premier League goal and one assist in the 2025-26 season, which gives Villa at least some production while others settle. Even so, one player carrying the early numbers is not the same as a functioning front unit.

There is also the absence of continuity around Ollie Watkins, one of the established names in the squad, while the new combinations are still being built. Emery's comments suggest he is less concerned with panic over the table after three games than with getting his new forwards to understand the same habits the previous side had.

Brugge comes at an awkward time

Emery has already made clear he does not want his team looking too far ahead, but the trip to Club Brugge KV arrives with pressure building because Villa have given supporters so little attacking encouragement in the league.

That fixture is awkward for two reasons. Villa need a response, and they need one while the attack still looks unfinished. Jackson's minutes are limited, Rogers is carrying much of the early output, and the overall chance creation remains weak.

So Emery's patience message is not spin. It is a realistic reading of a side that has lost six starters from a Europa League-winning team and is trying to rebuild its attack on the run. Villa go to Club Brugge still waiting for their first league goal of the campaign and with Emery asking his players to absorb his demands before the goals arrive.

FAQ

Why is Unai Emery asking Aston Villa fans for patience?

Emery says Villa are rebuilding the team and new players still need time to learn his demands. The slow start is clear, with no goals in the opening three Premier League games and only one shot on target, but he has pointed to the scale of the changes after six starters from the Europa League-winning side left Villa Park.

Are Aston Villa struggling because of their new forwards?

The attack is still very new. Nicolas Jackson has only 71 Premier League minutes for Villa, while the briefed support around the forward line is also early in its development. Emery's view is that the front players are still adapting rather than proving the rebuild is broken after three games.

How big is Aston Villa's squad rebuild under Unai Emery?

It is a major reset. Six of the starting XI from Villa's Europa League victory have departed Villa Park, which helps explain why Emery is stressing continuity of mentality rather than immediate fluency. He wants the same standards, but with different players learning them.

Who is carrying Aston Villa's attacking output right now?

Morgan Rogers is one of the few Villa attackers with early returns, with one Premier League goal and one assist in the 2025-26 season. That does not solve the wider issue, though, because Villa are still waiting for their rebuilt front line to turn possession into clear chances and goals.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →