Emery bullish about squad's potential after six-goal Villa thriller

Unai Emery is preparing his Aston Villa squad to compete fiercely on four fronts next season.

The Spanish coach was speaking after seeing his side round off an encouraging Premier League Summer Series campaign with an exhilarating 3-3 draw against Brentford.

Bryan Mbeumo and Josh Dasilva put the Bees two up but a 10-minute blitz saw Villa turn the game on its head before half-time via an Ezri Konsa wonder goal and strikes from Moussa Diaby and Matty Cash.

And though Shandon Baptiste's finish ensured the entertaining contest ended level, 51-year-old Emery continues to be encouraged by his side's pre-season performances.

He explained: "It was a good match. We played very well in the first half. 

"We came back and our control of the game was good. We were holding the line high and keeping ball possession like we worked on.

"In the second half we did some changes and lost a bit of power we had in the first half. But I am happy as the practice we wanted before coming here I think we are doing.

"We are here trying to build and create a strong structure with the squad. We are trying to get some young players a performance as well, so they can help us in the season. 

"We are going to play the Premier League as our first target but with three other competitions, I want to be competitive and we will need a lot of players."

Villa's spell of dominance late in the first period gave Brentford boss Thomas Frank cause for concern, though the German was otherwise pleased with his side's efforts.

Frank said: "It was a fine start to the first half with the two goals but it was just after the cooling break — the second half of the first half — that was disappointing.

"In that spell we were too stretched. They played between the lines and opened us up. That’s definitely something we need to look into.

"But the second half was much better and much more balanced."

Villa finished runners-up in the inaugural Summer Series having taken five points from their three outings — two fewer than winners Chelsea.