23.01.2026 00:20
Aston Villa's head coach Unai Emery spoke after the match against Fenerbahçe. Emery said, "I have a lot of respect for Fenerbahçe. I think their performance in the league is excellent. You have to adapt to every match in Europe. They played with the character we expected. We tried to close the open spaces. We won, but we could have lost to Fenerbahçe. I have great respect for Fenerbahçe and their coach."
Aston Villa, who defeated Fenerbahçe 1-0 away in the 7th week of the UEFA Europa League, stated that they performed very well in the match, according to head coach Unai Emery. In statements made after the match at Chobani Stadium, Emery expressed his happiness for earning 3 points from the contest.
''WE HAVE GUARANTEED THE TOP 8''
Emery, who emphasized that they take the UEFA Europa League seriously, said, "It's not easy to win everything. We gained a lot today, and I am very happy. I am pleased with the effort we showed and the 3 points. We have guaranteed the top 8 in the league in the 7th week. This shows how much respect we have for this league, and it makes us proud. We face some challenges along the way. We must remain balanced and focus on each match." he stated.
''OUR GOAL IS TO WIN THE CUP''
Emery conveyed that their goal is to win the cup, saying, "We have a clear goal this year, which is to win the cup. When you win here, you can directly qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Many teams in the Premier League are competing for that, and it's tough to get there. Fenerbahçe is also one of the teams that can go for the cup. Aston Villa is a team that played in the Champions League and Europa League three years ago. We want to be stronger with the experiences we have gained. My dream is, of course, to win trophies with Aston Villa." he evaluated.
''I RESPECT FENERBAHÇE, WE COULD HAVE LOST''
Emery expressed that they played a very important match and gained experience by winning such "key matches," and he concluded his remarks as follows:
"Today was a very important match. In this atmosphere, the players showed how they should play against such a biting opponent. By winning these key matches, we are gaining experience and trying to improve as a team. We respect our opponents. The players at Fenerbahçe have quite good capacity. When we give the ball, we plan to press high. We are very eager about this. If we don't do this, we could suffer. We also love transition plays. Asensio and Duran were previously on our team; they are important players. We wanted to keep them in the team, but they are opponents now. They have a good squad and a good coach. Our goal is to win matches with transition play and set pieces and to continue with this desire. I have a lot of respect for Fenerbahçe. I think their performance in the league is excellent. You need to adapt to every match in Europe. They played with character as we expected. We tried to close the open spaces. We won, but we could have lost to Fenerbahçe. I have great respect for Fenerbahçe and their coach."