Emery warns Villa of discipline crisis as winless start continues

Unai Emery has publicly criticised Aston Villa for a lack of discipline as the club searches for its first Premier League win of the season. The manager highlighted the red card to Joao Gomes on debut and the half‑time removal of Nicolas Jackson in the recent home loss to Nottingham Forest.

Bookings pile up across competitions

Villa have accumulated seven bookings in their first four Premier League fixtures, three yellow cards in the Champions League win over Club Brugge and another three in the Carabao Cup victory at Coventry. Aaron Wan‑Bissaka’s yellow for squaring up to Gustavo Hamer at Coventry was singled out as unnecessary.

Joao Gomes was sent off on his debut on the opening day of the campaign when Villa were beaten 4‑0 at Brighton. Last weekend, Emery withdrew Nicolas Jackson at half‑time of the home defeat by Nottingham Forest, fearing the forward would pick up a second caution.

Emery said: “We must control our emotions, individually. We must reduce red cards but also some yellow cards are not necessary.” He added that experienced players such as Jackson and Wan‑Bissaka must keep their composure.

Former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca previously lost patience with Jackson because of his habit of collecting yellow cards. The forward has yet to score in the Premier League for Villa since his £65 million summer move from Stamford Bridge.

The comments were published by TOM COLLOMOSSE in FOOTBALL on 18 September 2026, underscoring the urgency of improving discipline before Villa can claim a league victory.