Unai Emery has urged his Aston Villa squad to use the disappointment of past semi-final defeats as motivation in their push for Europa League success. The Villa boss wants his players to galvanise their pursuit of glory in the final weeks of the season by drawing on previous painful experiences.
Past Semi-Final Heartbreaks
Villa lost to Olympiacos in the Conference League semi-finals in the 2023/24 season before being knocked out of the FA Cup by Crystal Palace at Wembley last term. They now contest a third semi-final in as many years against Nottingham Forest, with the first leg taking place on Thursday night at the City Ground.
Having also reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season, Emery’s squad have enough experience to get over the line this time around and are considered by many to be favourites to win the competition.
Lessons from the Past
Emery reflected on the different circumstances of those defeats. "Different competitions, different circumstances. The semi-final against Olympiacos two years ago, we lost, but we were also in the Premier League fighting to finish fourth. We finished that season tired and with some injuries. We lost, we accepted it, and it was a process we went through at that moment."
"Last year, we played the FA Cup semi-final and went to Wembley. It was my first experience of a semi-final at Wembley in the FA Cup. We lost against Crystal Palace - another experience. But they were two different situations: against Olympiacos it was over two legs, and against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup it was 90 minutes. We are going to use those experiences to do better this time."
First European Meeting with Forest
It will be the maiden European meeting between Villa and Forest and the former’s first continental contest against opponents from their own country. Emery emphasised the importance of managing the two-legged tie.
"We will play two legs and, of course, the first 90 minutes are very important, but we will still have the second leg to play. When you are playing in the Premier League, the matches may seem the same, but they are different in terms of how you manage the momentum - even between the first half of the first leg and the second half of the second leg."
"They are different, and I expect it to be a long match. Why? Because they are performing really well and are now playing with confidence - it is really impressive. They have scored four or five goals in the matches they have played. In the Europa League, the way they are playing is very competitive. In the last two rounds against Porto and Midtjylland, they competed fantastically, even with tight results."
"I expect a difficult match and a very intelligent match. We must play intelligently and try to enjoy it too - we must enjoy the preparation, the match itself, after the match, and the days between the legs."
Historic Season Ahead
This could be a historic season for Villa, not only as they look to win their first trophy in 30 years, but also secure a return to the Champions League, with one more win potentially being enough to secure a top-five finish.
"We are in the semi-final of the Europa League and near the end of the Premier League season, with our target so close and very important - to achieve European qualification and Champions League football next season," Emery added. "Every player must be focused, playing with excitement and ready to play 90 minutes, 30 minutes, or even just a few minutes - this is the moment to contribute."
"Now is not the time for individual players to be selfish. Now is the time for the team to be together. Everybody is involved in a key moment this season, and in the important target we are facing. Of course, but I don't expect it to be easy because Nottingham Forest are playing with confidence and are very competitive. Maybe they feel they can get an advantage, as they have scored nine goals in two matches."
"But I expect us to be competitive tomorrow, to try to dominate, and to stop their attack and set pieces. I think both teams will need the second leg, and we are expecting a tight result."
