Aston Villa host AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday evening. Three points for the Claret and Blue could take them to the top of the table in Group E with the knockouts on the horizon. Manager Unai Emery spoke to the media ahead of the much anticipated tie.
Last time out in the Netherlands Alkmaar were defeated 4-1 by the side from Birmingham. Villa struck twice in both halves, with goals from Leon Bailey, Youri Tielemans, Ollie Watkins and John McGinn sealing a well-deserved victory on the night.
Emery's side now have three games to go in the group stage, with Legia Warszawa at home on November 30 and HSK Zrinjski away in the middle of December. The Villa boss gave an injury update ahead of the game.
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Quotes
He said: "Matty Cash is ready. He didn't really have a big problem it was a small problem but he is available for tomorrow. Alex Moreno is close to start playing minutes again because he is playing very well."
Coming off the loss against Nottingham Forest at the weekend in the Premier League, the Villa manager made it clear there needs to an improvement but is quietly confident this Villa side can once again perform on the big stage.
"We have to improve and of course after one effort, we can't worry about why we lost those three points but every match we have played they have been very difficult. We have to respect the Conference League and the Premier League of course. We are still 5th in the table, we have to be demanding, how we can be competitive and always how we can play to be close to winning than lose is very vital."
On his record in Europe, Emery has been a success and the fanbase is quietly confident of lifting silverware this season. Emery was quizzed on how he is able to manage such a competition on a regular basis.
"Some players have very good experience in Europe and some have never played in the competition. They may have played in other competitions and played three times a week. But my main objective is to build here and try to create a story with even 20 or 22 players. That is why I am rotating but this thinking to add players and getting our quality performances like I want is important."
"Legia Warszawa is an example, if we play away again I probably can't play the same team again as we have loads of other games. I want to manage the squad and try to get out of them very good performances. I want every player to take a process as we build a team. I want to use every player and get every performance from everyone of them, I want to be demanding always."
Alkmaar were successful in the same competition last season getting to the semi finals before being knocked out by West Ham United. Emery was very impressed with their run last time out and respects what they bring to the table.
"I respect them a lot they are a winner team, they are a winner team in the league and they were very successful in the Conference league competition last season, losing to West Ham in the semi finals. They have experience in Europe and players who have experience internationally and in their league and in Europe. We won the first match there and they will try to get a result as it is a very important game. For us we can try to get something tomorrow as the game will be a key moment in the competition."
John McGinn insists Villa won’t be taking anything for granted in the UEFA Europa Conference League this season with the Villains captain expecting a tough test on Thursday night.
Emery’s side put in a superb display at AZ Stadion to move on to six points in Group E, following an opening defeat against Legia Warszawa and narrow late win over HŠK Zrinjski.
“I think the difficulty of the competition hasn’t been a surprise to me", he said. "I know how hard it is to get into these competitions. I think the perception from the outside is ‘it’s just the Conference League, Aston Villa will turn up with the players we have and win. It’s not been like that at all. Even over in Alkmaar, the scoreline suggests it was a comfortable game, but there were large spells of that, even at 4-1, which weren’t comfortable."
“I think people will remember that. We’re coming up against good teams, we’re pretty inexperienced at this level so we’re getting better, we’re gradually improving. But all three teams in the group have given us huge tests so far, hopefully now we can push on and qualify.”
The Villans suffered a 3-2 reverse against Legia on Matchday one, twice pulling themselves level before falling behind for a third time. McGinn insists Villa learned a lot from that night in the Polish capital and a tough introduction to European football following the club’s 15-year absence from group stage competition.
It was the midfielder whose bagged a dramatic 94th-minute header to clinch a last-gasp 1-0 triumph over Zrinjski on Matchday two, secured a thrilling and deserved three points. The Scotland international was again on target at AZ Stadion, converting the fourth and final goal of a memorable night. McGinn feels that opening Group E encounter against Legia has stood Villa in good stead.
“I think us among four of five others, the outside perception is we’ll be there towards the end of this competition. We are embracing it, we know we are, we know we’re one of the biggest teams in the competition, but that doesn’t mean we just turn up against teams. I think the Legia game was really good for us, it was a huge learning curve and the minute we’re off it, teams will punish you and we got punished that night. So, as much as we didn’t want to lose, I think it was a huge learning curve for us that night and it’s given us a platform to respect each and every single team who plays."
“Zrinjski came and it was a huge effort from them, but I think we approached that game much, much better than the Legia one and Alkmaar, the performance was professional. Carrying on in the competition, we’ll be taking no-one for granted, especially after the feeling we had at the end of the game in Poland.”