Aston Villa manager Unai Emery reflected on his own tactical decisions after his side suffered a 1-0 defeat, their second loss in the league phase, on Tuesday night.
Wilfried Singo’s early goal in the eighth minute was the difference at Stade Louis II, with the forward heading in from close range after Emiliano Martinez had saved Thilo Kehrer’s initial shot.
After the match, Emery admitted that opting to play with two strikers as Villa searched for an equalizer was a mistake. “We lost control of the game. We were very weak in the middle. I watched it not work well,” he said.
He continued, “I think we played 70 minutes in the way I wanted. The opponent had a good game plan and were effective in transitions. We created three or four good chances, but to compete at this level, we need to take those opportunities. Despite that, I was somewhat positive.”
He added, “In the last 20-25 minutes, with two strikers, we were not as threatening as we were in the first 70 minutes. I was particularly happy with Emi Buendía today. He has the option to leave, but we needed him. He played fantastically with his qualities, mentality, and commitment.”
Emery acknowledged the tactical challenge of playing with two strikers, stating, “We have two very good strikers, but today it didn’t work well. I made a mistake when I decided to play with two strikers. Up until that point, we were more or less controlling the game.”
Defender Tyrone Mings also took responsibility for the defeat, stating there were no excuses. “I gave the ball away poorly, leading to the corner, and we didn’t defend it well. We couldn’t get back in the game, and we didn’t take our chances. That’s the fine margins of football,” Mings said.
“We weren’t good enough. We’ll take the positives from the game, but we have to improve. It wasn’t a good night, and no one feels good about it, especially with the fans who traveled a long way. We’ll go again. In the key moments, we came out on the wrong side.”
The defeat leaves Villa in eighth place in the Champions League table, occupying the final automatic qualification spot. However, Brest, Bayern Munich, and AC Milan could all surpass them with victories on Wednesday.
Villa’s final league-phase match is against Celtic on January 29.
Unai Emery reveals ‘mistake’ he made during Aston Villa’s Champions League defeat
