October 23rd 2024.
Unai Emery is having a spectacular run in the European competition with Aston Villa. After a brilliant start, the team is now looking to secure one of the coveted top eight spots in the Champions League group phase. In their return to Europe's top flight, the Villains have won all three of their games, currently sitting at the top of the league and yet to concede a single goal.
Their latest victory came in the form of a 2-0 win over Bologna on Tuesday night. This impressive result, along with their previous triumphs against Young Boys and Bayern Munich, has established Aston Villa as a formidable force in the competition. With the new Champions League format, the top eight teams in the group phase will directly advance to the last 16, while teams placed 9-24 will have to compete in a two-legged play-off to join them.
Of course, the ultimate goal for Aston Villa was to reach the knockout stages, but with their current standing at the top of the league table, Emery believes they can now start aiming for a top eight spot. In a post-match press conference after defeating Bologna, he stated, "We are taking it one match at a time, but looking at our current position in the table, we are in a good spot. We won our first match away at Young Boys, and from there we were already thinking about our objective of reaching the next round. And now, with another win under our belts, we can start thinking about securing a top eight spot."
The team's captain, John McGinn, opened the scoring for Aston Villa on Tuesday, while Jhon Duran continued his impressive form by scoring the second goal. Emery acknowledged the challenge that lay ahead for his team, but he believes they have already faced their toughest obstacle in defeating Bayern Munich. Their next Champions League match will be against Club Brugge, followed by a home game against Juventus, and then away fixtures against RB Leipzig and Monaco before hosting Celtic at Villa Park on 29 January.
But before that, the team's focus will be on their upcoming Premier League match against Bournemouth on Saturday. Emery has challenged his players to continue improving their performances, saying, "This is our challenge, my challenge, and I'm sending a message to the players: we have to keep increasing our level. The high level we are striving for is the most challenging we can have in the Champions League and the Premier League. The players must be fully committed to this challenge, and I have full confidence that they will be."
Despite their success, Emery remains grounded and is not getting carried away with the team's performances. He was pleased with the win against Bologna and praised his players for their mature and ambitious display on the field. "We played with maturity, respecting our opponents but also having the ambition to win. We were able to execute our game plan well, pressing without the ball and breaking their man-to-man press when we had possession. Overall, I am very happy with the result and the way we played," he said.
Emery also emphasized the need for balance and maintaining their current level of performance in the Champions League and Premier League. He added, "We still have a lot of matches to play, so we must not lose our focus and keep our balance. But for now, we can bask in the glory of this win and be delighted with our progress in the Champions League."
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