Southampton vs Aston Villa

club
factfile:
FORMED
1874
NICKNAME
The Villans
STADIUM
Villa Park
CAPACITY
42,777
2021/22
14th in Premier League
FA Cup third round
League Cup third
round
HONOURS
7 top-flight titles
2 second-tier titles
7 FA Cups
5 League Cups
1 European Cup
recent results:
26.12.22
Watkins
Premier League
01.01.23
Buendía, Luiz
Premier League
12 / saints
Aside from an embarrassing FA
Cup third round exit at home to
League Two Stevenage, Aston
Villa’s transformation under
new boss Unai Emery has been
nothing short of exceptional.
The former Arsenal gaffer
replaced Steven Gerrard in
November after the Liverpool
legend had been dismissed
following a dismal start to the
season in which they had won
just twice in the league and
only sat above the relegation
places on goals scored.
Under Emery, however, Villa
have quickly turned things
around, winning four games
from eight to move up to
mid-table, 10 points clear of
the drop zone. That run has
included victories over highflying
Manchester United,
Brighton & Hove Albion and
Tottenham Hotspur.
04.01.23
Ings
Premier League
After leaving his role at Rangers,
ex-England international
Gerrard’s tenure at Villa as
successor to Dean Smith lasted
less than a year following just
13 wins from 40 league games.
Gerrard’s high-profile signings
included Barcelona forward
Phillipe Coutinho, Sevilla
defender Diego Carlos and
French midfielder Boubacar
Kamara. A further £13m was
spent on Wolverhampton
Wanderers defender Leander
Dendoncker. However, Carlos
suffered a serious ankle injury
on his home debut and Kamara
has only just returned to action
following a knee ligament injury
sustained against Southampton.
Emery’s first move in the
January window saw Villa
snap up Spanish left-back
Álex Moreno for £13.2m
from Real Betis.
08.01.23
Sanson
FA Cup
13.01.23
Bailey, Buendía
Premier League
ONE TO WATCH:
ARGENTINIAN / AGE: 30
The arrival of Carlos Alcaraz as
A World Cup winner with Argentina last month where he performed
heroics in the penalty shootout victory over France, Emiliano Martínez
is now in his third season at Villa Park. The towering goalkeeper ended
a 10-year association with Arsenal to move to Villa in September
2020, lifting the FA Cup in his final act as a Gunner. The colourful
character had joined Arsenal from Independiente, but his first-team
appearances in north London were interspersed with six spells out
on loan. Martínez, who saved a penalty on his Premier League debut
for Villa, played every minute of his first campaign with the club and
was named Player of the Season at the end of that term. He kept 11
clean sheets last season and has three to his name in 17 appearances
this time around. Capped 26 times by his country, he won the Golden
Glove in Qatar.
Ten-year record:
league
15 th
17 th
THE BOSS:
SPANISH / AGE: 51
Aston Villa’s appointment of Unai Emery was a sign of the club’s
ambition. Emery is a European specialist, having won the Europa
League three seasons in a row at Sevilla before lifting the trophy
again with Villarreal when they beat Manchester United in 2021. The
Spanish club also reached last year’s Champions League semi-finals
under Emery. Emery returned to England with something of a point to
prove following his sacking by Arsenal in 2019. His 18-month stint at
the Emirates has been painted as a failure, but tasked with following
Arsène Wenger, Arsenal finished fifth in his full season in charge,
and he led the Gunners to the Europa League final where they lost
to Chelsea. A former midfielder as a player, Emery’s management
career began in his native Spain in 2004 with Lorca Deportiva. He later
enjoyed league and cup success with Paris Saint-Germain prior to his
arrival at Arsenal.
20 th
13 th
12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22
4th
5 th
17 th
11 th
14 th
saints / 13
saints / 03
CONTACT US
Southampton Football Club
St Mary’s Stadium
Britannia Road
Southampton
SO14 5FP
Main Reception
02380 727 700 | reception@saintsfc.co.uk
Supporter Services
02380 711 980 | supporterservices@saintsfc.co.uk
Ticket Office
02381 780 780 | tickets@saintsfc.co.uk
Stadium Store
02380 711 973 | retailhelp@saintsfc.co.uk
Hospitality
02380 727 768 | hospitality@saintsfc.co.uk
DIRECTORY
Chief Executive Officer Martin Semmens
Managing Director Toby Steele
Board of Directors Martin Semmens, Chief
Execuitve Officer; Toby Steele, Managing
Director; Matt Crocker, Director of Football
Operations; David Thomas, Chief Commercial
Officer; Tim Greenwell, Chief Legal & Risk
Officer; Michelle Butler, Director of HR.
First Team Manager Nathan Jones
First Team Coaches Chris Cohen,
Alan Sheehan, Rubén Selles, Carl Martin,
Andrew Sparkes.
Club Leadership Team Mark Abrahams,
Director of Commercial & Community
Partnerships; Sarah Batters, Director of
Marketing and Partnerships; Michael Fenn,
Finance Director; James Grove, Director of IT;
Matt Hale, Academy Director; Mark Jarvis,
Director of Performance; Zoe O’Sullivan,
Director of Legal; Matt Silvester, Director of
Venue Sales; Ros Wheeler, Club Secretary;
Fabiola Wilcox, Director of Brand Experience &
Communications.
Team Doctor Dr Iñigo Sarriegui
Physiotherapists Steve Wright, Neil Simms,
Fraser McKinney.
Head Groundsman Graeme Mills
Club PA Tim Manns
SAINTS
Editor Mark Perrow
Contributors Neil Jeffries, Tom Harvey, Sam
Tighe, Barry Webb, Duncan Holley, Alicia Povey,
James Barker, Marc Walker.
Photography Matt Watson, Isabelle Field, Chris
Moorhouse, Getty Images, Action Images.
Advertising Michael Hopkins
0845 688 9377 | sponsorship@saintsfc.co.uk
This programme was produced on behalf of Southampton FC by Ignition Sports Media.
Design: James Ginieres
www.ignitionsportsmedia.com
Printed by Stephens & George Print Group
WHAT’S
INSIDE...
aston
villa
1 3
0 2
#26
Carlos
Alcaraz
1 1
1 2
2 1
saints / 41
UNAI EMERY
EMILIANO MARTÍNEZ
15th
“I knew it
would be a
challenge in
my career, so I
wanted to take
it, knowing I
was joining a
great club.”
Southampton’s second signing of the
January transfer window reaffirmed
Saints’ commitment to youth. Talented and
temperamental, the 20-year-old Argentinian
is a bundle of energy right up for the fight
of keeping Saints in the Premier League…
04 Moment
in time
06 Nathan
Jones
08 INSIDE
SO14
10 southampton
fc women
12 feature
interview
24 saints
Foundation
26 ticket
NEWS
31
The rest
is history
premier
CHAMPIONSHIP
issue 14
£3.50
SAINTS
SAINTS Vs aston villa | saturday 21st january 2023, 3pm | premier league
40 Aston
VIlla
47 JUNIOR
SAINTS
52 Saints
Dedications
60 player
profiles
62 Fixtures
& Results
64 Saints
Standings
66 Franny
Benali
68 The
teams