When Unai Emery decided to drop everything at Villarreal and head to Aston Villa, a few eyebrows were certainly raised.
That’s not a slight to the Premier League club in itself, but mostly because the manager had just played in the Champions League with the Spanish club and taken them very far in the competition, and was still in the Conference League with them this season.
Meanwhile, heading to Aston Villa meant giving up European football, with the aim at Villa Park clearly to climb up the table and put the Villans in a similar position to Villarreal.
While he hasn’t performed miracles, there’s no denying that Emery is heading in the right direction, but that doesn’t stop him from longing for those big nights once again, as he explained to Gazzetta dello Sport, who interviewed him about the Europa League.
He said: “I miss the European cups in general. In addition to the five Europa League finals, I reached the semifinals seven times. This year, before moving to England mid-season, I had played in the Conference League with Villarreal. Champions League, Europa League, Conference League: they are all European titles and winning the, is always the best.”
The Aston Villa manager was then asked about the label Mister Europa League that has been placed on his shoulders following his success in the competition.
He replied: “I am proud to be the manager with the most victories in this cup, and to have surpassed a master like Trapattoni. But I have also played many evenings in the Champions League, and I would also like to triumph there.”
