Emery urges Aston Villa to aim for Europe's elite

Unai Emery asserted that for Aston Villa, winning the Europa League must only be the beginning of their ambitions. After defeating Freiburg 3-0 on May 20, 2026, Villa secured their first major trophy since the 1996 League Cup. However, Emery made it clear that he aims for more significant achievements in the future. He rejected the title of "king of the Europa League" and emphasized focusing on the present and future challenges.

"Next year we will play in the Champions League and this is the challenge," said the Aston Villa manager. He emphasized the competitiveness of the Premier League, stating, "The best teams in the world are there and it will challenge us a lot. The Premier League is the most difficult league in the world. To be fighting top seven, top five, top four is something very difficult. Hopefully we can be close with teams like City and Arsenal."

Emery described his journey with Villa as part of a larger goal, saying, "Play for Europe, play for trophies." He highlighted the importance of winning trophies in achieving this dream and stressed that they will continue to push forward.

A significant factor in their successful campaign has been the contributions of set-piece coach Austin MacPhee, who created the opportunity for Youri Tielemans to score the opening goal with a powerful volley. Villa captain John McGinn praised MacPhee's impact, stating, "I’m biased, but we have a great set piece coach in Austin MacPhee. We tried to deceive a bit with the set piece. Youri has great quality to find the goal."

Reflecting on the implications of their Europa League win, the victory leaves open the possibility of six Premier League teams participating in the Champions League in the next season, depending on Villa’s final league standing. Currently, Liverpool has almost secured fifth place in the league, putting Villa’s hopes for a Champions League spot on thin ice. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace could also qualify for Europe if they succeed in the Conference League final.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez revealed he played the match with a broken finger. After receiving treatment before the game, he stated, "Today I broke my finger during the warm-up... I’ve done this my whole life and I’ll keep doing it. I'm proud to defend Aston Villa."