Emery: Not the King of Europa, Aims for a New Era at Aston Villa

Unai Emery, the manager of Aston Villa, has expressed his hope that the upcoming Europa League final against Freiburg could mark the beginning of a new era for the club. Aston Villa is set to play its first trophy final in 30 years and its first European final since 1982, when they defeated Bayern Munich to win the UEFA Cup. Despite Emery having already played six finals in the Europa League and having won four titles in European competitions, he declines the title "King of Europa." He views the upcoming match as an entirely new and different challenge.

"The most important experiences we can have individually are, of course, fantastic, but here we are talking about experiences with Aston Villa. Three years ago, we played a semi-final in the Conference League, last year we played a quarter-final in the Champions League, and this year – a final in the Europa League. We have played enough matches in European tournaments. These experiences are very important for us. Tomorrow is a new challenge we are facing together. We are confident. The players are here because they deserve it," Emery said at his press conference.

Emery noted that tomorrow will be a tactical, technical, and emotional battle. "We are confident, but we have great respect for the opponent. I am not the king of Europa. Everything I have done is in the past. It is there, but it won't help me win tomorrow. I need to do it with the players I have here at Aston Villa, and against the opponents we face. This is a new chapter, a new path, a new opportunity and we hope – the beginning of a new era for Aston Villa."

Asked about Amadou Onana's availability for tomorrow, Emery replied: "He trained yesterday, he will train today. Tomorrow, we will make a decision based on whether he feels 100% well. Of course, he is an important player for us, but the last few matches without him and Kamara have made me feel confident."