For the fifth time in his managerial career, the Europa League bowed to Unai Emery, as he guided Aston Villa to their first major European trophy since 1982. Freiburg simply had no answers to the Villains’ superiority—neither in the air, nor on the ground, nor from dead-ball situations. Tactical analysis and match report by Achraf Lamdarhri. We […]
Aston Villa produced a scintillating second-leg performance at Villa Park to overturn a first-leg deficit and dismantle Nottingham Forest 4-0. The most successful Europa League manager Unai Emery’s side secured a 4-1 aggregate victory to reach the Europa League final, ending Forest’s continental fairy tale in ruthless fashion. On a night where the Midlands atmosphere […]
Nottingham Forest secured a slender but vital 1-0 advantage in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against Premier League rivals Aston Villa. In a high-stakes encounter at a rocking City Ground, Vitor Pereira’s men showcased tactical discipline and resilience to blunt Unai Emery’s side. A second-half penalty from Chris Wood proved to be […]
Nottingham Forest secured a historic 1-0 victory (2-1 aggregate) over FC Porto at a raucous City Ground, booking their place in the Europa League semi-finals for the first time since 1984. On an emotionally charged night, Vítor Pereira’s side capitalized on an early red card for Porto’s Jan Bednarek to take control through a deflected […]
Vincenzo Italiano kept his cards close. Not many drastic changes to the starting eleven, but it became clear when the fullbacks had swapped sides from the first leg. Whether it was for better tracking of Aston Villa’s wide center-midfielders, better access inside or for more isolation for the winger against opposition fullback, Bologna was worse […]
Nottingham Forest secured a hard-fought 1-1 draw at the Estádio do Dragão, delivering a performance of restorative tenacity to frustrate FC Porto and leave this Europa League quarter-final finely balanced. In a statistically lopsided encounter, Francesco Farioli’s side exhibited the creative volume that Vítor Pereira’s men lacked, yet were undone by a momentary lapse in […]
This followed the Unai Emery script, but after winning this competition four times, could one expect any different? Jonathan Rowe caused havoc, but Aston Villa found a way to puncture Bologna’s tyres. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. Unai Emery, with a team named Villa, brings an air of inevitability in European competition. […]
In a rematch of their UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final two years ago, Aston Villa travelled to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy to face Lille OSC in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16. Lille were hoping for revenge following a heated penalty shootout, but they would have to settle for a good performance […]
Aston Villa emerged from the cauldron of De Kuip with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Feyenoord, making it two wins from two in the UEFA Europa League group stage. The result was a testament to Unai Emery’s tactical discipline and the visitors’ resilience, as they weathered a first-half onslaught from the Eredivisie leaders before […]
Roma fans filled the Stadio Olimpico to support Gasperini’s team, coming from a Serie A victory and a debut win against Nice in the Europa League. The next challenge was against another French side, LOSC Lille, who also started the competition with a win but had lost twice in a row in Ligue 1. The […]