Unai Emery is having nightmares at the thought of what Michael Carrick could do with this United side

Birmingham, 24 March — Aston Villa’s season has pivoted from fantasy to fear in the space of six weeks, and manager Unai Emery is now haunted by the prospect of Manchester United surging past under interim boss Michael Carrick.

Villa entered the winter plotting an unlikely title charge; today they cling to a top-five place after collecting one win from their last five league fixtures. Friday’s 2-0 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, their neighbours and traditional irritants, has intensified the gloom inside Villa Park and allowed Liverpool, Chelsea and United to scent blood.

Emery did not hide the unease spreading through his squad. “In September, I was worried, and the objective was to stay in the Premier League,” he reflected. “In December, I was so happy and excited to get the top-five position and achieve the Champions League. One month ago, I was dreaming about maybe winning the Premier League. Now we are in the average to be in the top five.”

The Spaniard knows the chasing pack have both momentum and motivation. Should United beat Crystal Palace on Sunday, Carrick’s men would vault into third, a position Villa held comfortably only weeks ago. The Reds are unbeaten in ten matches, six of them overseen by the former midfielder, and have finally located the ruthless edge that eluded them under predecessor Ruben Amorim.

For Villa, the horizon offers no hiding place. A Stamford Bridge date with Chelsea is followed by a visit to Old Trafford, fixtures that could decide whether Champions League music echoes in the Midlands next season or whether Emery’s side tumble into the Europa League places—or worse.

United, by contrast, sense a doorway to something grander. Carrick has stabilised defence and attack, and the club’s decision-makers will watch the next fortnight closely. If the caretaker can steer United past Palace, Chelsea and Villa themselves, talk of a title push will no longer be idle gossip.

Emery, once the dreamer, now spends his evenings calculating how to stop the red tide led by a man who has never lost as United boss. For the first time all season, the nightmares are wearing Manchester colours.