Premier League Emery's priority - but fans will not tell tales of finishing fifth
Aston Villa's nine-month pursuit of the same goal down two paths may be all but complete a week from now. For the third spring running, Villa enter a knockout semi-final in which they are widely assumed to be the stronger side, with an enormous weight of expectation from supporters who have only seen a Villa captain lift a major trophy on video. "The semi-final against Olympiacos two years ago, we lost," said Unai Emery on Wednesday.
[Getty Images] Aston Villa's nine-month pursuit of the same goal down two paths may be all but complete a week from now. Even after a pallid showing at Fulham, one more Premier League win will most likely be enough to hit the Champions League target, with two eminently winnable games up next. They remain favourites at a skinny price to win the Europa League, a prize with a Champions League place as a bonus.
But it is the apparent secondary target that fires the imagination, for all the cash rewards of a top-five finish. For the third spring running, Villa enter a knockout semi-final in which they are widely assumed to be the stronger side, with an enormous weight of expectation from supporters who have only seen a Villa captain lift a major trophy on video. This is now true of any fan still on the right side of 30, which, in one of the youngest cities in Europe, must be a lot of people.
"The semi-final against Olympiacos two years ago, we lost," said Unai Emery on Wednesday. "But we were involved in the Premier League to finish fourth and we finished the season a little bit more tired and with some important injuries. We accepted it and, of course, it was a process we had in that moment.
"Last year, we played in the semi-final of the FA Cup - we lost, and didn't deserve more against Crystal Palace . It was another experience. We are going to try to use our experiences to try to get better in this one.