When Aston Villa walked out to face Viking in the Champions League, a giant tifo emblazoned with the message 'We've Conquered Before. We're Prepared For More' dropped down from Villa Park's famous Holte End. At the same time, Villa manager Unai Emery was striding along the touchline to a standing ovation as he took the acclaim from supporters.
Emery celebrates the fourth anniversary of his appointment from Villarreal when Villa face Premier League leaders Manchester City at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime, his arrival a transformative moment for one of the great old footballing institutions. He has written his name into Villa Park history, adding to a track record there and at other clubs that marks him down as one of the game's elite operators. And it was reflected in every moment against Viking with an emphatic victory.
Villa Park's mood was buoyant and expectant - restored to the state of optimism that came with last season's Europa League triumph following a campaign that saw 54-year-old Emery return the club to the Champions League. It was in sharp contrast to some trepidation weeks earlier after a summer which saw a host of big names depart and Villa deliver what has become something of a trademark under Emery, a slow start that usually ends with the closure of the transfer window. The scale of change at Villa can be underscored by the fact six of the starting line-up that won the Europa League with a 3-0 win against Freiburg in Istanbul in May left during the summer.
Norwegians Viking were duly dispatched 3-1 amid more jubilation, Villa making it three wins from three and actually topping the standings in the Champions League table until Peter Christiansen's late goal for the visitors left them level on nine points with holders Paris St-Germain, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Real Betis. It followed on from the 6-0 win against Fenerbahce in the Champions League at Villa Park. Villa have now won 12 European home games in a row, under the great specialist Emery.
Little wonder, then, that Emery was elated as he looked ahead to Saturday's meeting with Manchester City, who have a 100% record from seven games. Villa Park is certain to be high on excitement and emotion as Emery said: "Those three points fills us with confidence. We are comfortable, and of course as well getting balance, because after this match we are going to play against Barcelona, favourites, and then we play against Galatasaray away." He also noted how Villa Park is right on board with his impressive transition into what can be described as "Villa 2.0", saying: "We now try to focus now on the Manchester City game on Saturday, hopefully the same atmosphere, the same energy.
I am so, so happy but we must keep moving forward with the challenges we are going to face. "There's still a lot of work to do, so how we are responding, getting better, is really fantastic." Emery, if it is possible, appeared even more animated than usual during the Viking game, looking energised by the renewal he had to perform in the summer and the promise shown by Villa's new players. The list of summer departures looked daunting, with keeper Emiliano Martinez, Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans leaving, along with England trio Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Morgan Rogers - the latter duo to Arsenal and Chelsea for a combined total of £172m as Villa raked in about £320m.
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