Unai Emery was happy with his Aston Villa side after they completed their pre-season tour of the USA with a 3-3 draw against Brentford.
Villa showed spirit and character as they fought back from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 at the interval thanks to Ezri Konsa, Moussa Diaby and Matty Cash.
And despite a second-half leveller for the Bees, ensuring it finished all square in Maryland, head coach Emery was positive about what he saw from his Villa side.
“It was a good match, good match,” he told VillaTV.
“We played very well in the first half, we started losing but we were playing in the idea we planned.
“And we kept going in the same idea, we didn’t stop.
“We came back and our control of the game was good. Offensively we were holding the line high and then trying to keep ball possession like we were practicing.
“And progressively, hot day, in the second half we made some changes and lost a little bit of the power we had in the first half.
“But, really, I am happy because the practice we are doing, and what we wanted before coming here, I think we are doing.”
The draw at FedExField ensured Villa finished the Premier League Summer Series unbeaten.
It has been a positive pre-season trip to the USA as the Villans step up their preparations for the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
Emery’s side put in plenty of hard work on the training pitches of the East Coast amid intense heat, while playing out a 3-3 draw against Newcastle United in Philadelphia and a 2-0 win over Fulham in Orlando.
And Emery was happy with the trip Stateside.
“We are here, trying to build, trying to create a strong structure with the squad, with the players; strong tactically defensively and offensively,” he said.
“And trying to get some young players as well, the performance if they will help us in the season because we are going to play the Premier League, the first competition in our target.
“But then there’s Europa Conference League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup; they’re another three competitions I want to be competitive in.
“And we will need a lot of players.”
