Unai Emery Left Frustrated by Villa Players Mentality
Aston Villa’s 1-0 loss to Monaco in the Champions League group stage was a hammer blow to their hopes of comfortably securing a top-eight finish. It was a match where Villa had control over their own destiny but fell short in execution and mentality, much to the frustration of manager Unai Emery. Villa currently sits 9th in the Champions League table, just outside the crucial top-eight positions, making the result even harder to stomach.
The defeat left Villa’s Champions League hopes in the balance, requiring them to beat Celtic in the final game and hope other results go their way. Despite still having a chance, after an unexpected twist of fortune with rivals Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and Brest all failing to win, Villa could have avoided this precarious position with a stronger showing in Monaco.
“I think we lost the opportunity to get in the top eight” -Unai Emery
What Went Wrong: Emery’s Perspective
Emery cut a frustrated figure in the post-match press conference, dissecting a performance that failed to meet the standards he demands. “What is the reason? I could be here two days explaining it, in one minute it’s difficult,” said Emery. “My point of view has two directions. One is to analyse each match, today how we played, I think we played 70 minutes like I wanted.”
For much of the game, Villa looked organised and disciplined, particularly in the first half. Emery praised the performances of Buendia and Rogers in linking play through the middle, but the team’s failure to capitalise on set-pieces and key moments proved costly.
“We were horrible in set-pieces, we were horrible. We had seven corners and not one close to scoring. When we are playing games like today, it’s important to get three points because I think we lost the opportunity to get in the top eight. Today was the key.”
The failure to convert set-pieces underlined Villa’s inability to assert themselves in games where small margins make all the difference. It’s something that has been concerning the Villa football department in the past few months.
The Two-Striker Gamble That Backfired
A pivotal moment in the game came when Emery decided to chase the game more and switch to a two-striker formation late in the match. Instead of improving Villa’s attacking threat, the tactical adjustment disrupted their balance and allowed Monaco to exploit gaps in midfield.
“The last 20 or 25 minutes, when we played with two strikers, we lost our positioning,” reflected Emery. “I made a mistake when I decided to play with two strikers because in that moment we were more or less controlling the game. We were very weak in the middle, and they were getting transition and went close to scoring the second ball.”
The partnership of Watkins and Durán, while promising on paper, has yet to consistently work in practice. Emery acknowledged the challenge of getting both strikers to function effectively in his system.
“We have two good strikers, playing together we have to try to be the same,” he added. “We want to be strong in our structure. Today we didn’t do it, we didn’t achieve it.”
Mentality and Execution Under the Spotlight
Beyond tactical missteps, Emery pointed to deeper issues with the squad’s mentality and execution. He noted that some players are not fully aligned with the team’s plan, gesturing to his temple to emphasise the lack of focus from certain individuals.
“We are being demanding with the players we have, and some are not following the plan we are doing. This is the objective I have now, trying to build the team as strong as possible with a mentality we are building progressively.”
However, there were positives, with Emery singling out Emi Buendia for his commitment and performance despite speculation over his future at the club. “Of course, I am very happy with a lot of players. Today, especially with Emi Buendia, because he has the option to leave but today we needed him and he played fantastic with his qualities, fantastic mentality and fantastic with his commitment with the squad.”
All Is Not Lost: The Celtic Game Looms
Despite the disappointment in Monaco, other unexpected results in the group stage have kept Villa’s top-eight hopes alive. However, the task remains out of their hands. Villa must beat Celtic at Villa Park and hope Atalanta fail to win in Barcelona. They also have an outside chance of leapfrogging Bayer Leverkusen, but only if they beat Celtic by at least two more goals than Leverkusen manage against Sparta Prague (who have lost their last five in the tournament).
Emery remains optimistic about the Champions League campaign as a whole but didn’t shy away from acknowledging the missed opportunity in Monaco.
“We are doing a fantastic way in the Champions League. We are a contender for top eight, we didn’t get it today. We have to be excited that we’re in the next round. Today we lost one opportunity, everything we did before in the Champions League, beating Young Boys, Bayern, Bologna and Leipzig, wow, but we lost today.”
UTV
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