Unai Emery Reveals What He Told Aston Villa’s Players Before Europa League Win

Unai Emery said desire was the driving force behind Aston Villa’s emphatic UEFA Europa League final victory after the Premier League side brushed aside SC Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul on Wednesday night.

The Spaniard revealed after the match that he challenged his players before kick-off to take control of the occasion and show their hunger on the pitch. His message paid off as Villa delivered a dominant display to secure one of the biggest trophies in the club’s recent history.

“We played in a very serious way this year, so focused, and of course, the players showed their desire,” Emery said after the final.

“I told them [my players]: ‘We need desire in this competition and show it on the field. You are the protagonists.’ And they did it.”

Goals from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers sealed the comfortable win for Aston Villa F.C. against the Bundesliga outfit in Turkey.

Tielemans opened the scoring as Villa took charge early in the game before Buendía added a second to put Emery’s men firmly in control. Rogers completed the rout late on as Freiburg struggled to cope with Villa’s intensity and movement.

The victory also pushed Emery into the history books. The 54-year-old became the first manager to win the Europa League with three different clubs, having previously lifted the trophy three times with Sevilla FC and once with Villarreal CF.

Emery is now level with Carlo Ancelotti, José Mourinho and Giovanni Trapattoni for the most major European final victories by a manager.

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