Soccer-Emery urges Villa to recover energy in battle for Champions League spot

Soccer Football – Premier League – Brighton & Hove Albion v Aston Villa – The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain – May 5, 2024 Aston Villa manager Unai Emery reacts REUTERS/Tony Obrien

BRIGHTON, England (Reuters) – Aston Villa boss Unai Emery urged his side to put aside a tough week for the Premier League club where back-to-back defeats could potentially hurt their chances in Europe this season as well as next.

Villa lost 4-2 at home to Olympiakos in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday while Sunday’s 1-0 league loss at Brighton & Hove Albion failed to put some distance between Emery’s side and Tottenham Hotspur.

With Spurs losing at Liverpool later on Sunday, victory at Brighton would have clinched a Champions League spot for fourth-placed Villa, but the door remains slightly open for the London side who have a game in hand.

“We have to rest after a tough week… Now it’s important to rest and recover some players, to recover some energy and go to Athens and then Villa Park trying to enjoy the moment we have,” Emery said.

“We’re motivated, we’re deserving to enjoy this moment with our supporters and our fans.

“We competed well but it wasn’t enough today to get some points. Even when we were in minute 75, I was thinking maybe this draw is fantastic for us because today we are not at full energy.”

The one big positive for Villa was Robin Olsen who was in goal in place of injured first-choice keeper Emi Martinez and Emery said he was very happy with the Sweden international’s performance.

Olsen made several saves to keep Villa in the hunt and even denied Brighton’s Joao Pedro from the spot in the 87th minute before the Brazilian scored from the rebound.

“The goalkeeper saved the penalty and he played fantastic today,” Emery said of the 34-year-old.

“It’s not easy to be a substitute for Emi Martinez, the best goalkeeper in the world, but he’s always ready to play. He’s always positive, he’s always respectful and always practising, ready to help the team.

“Even when he saved the penalty, the second action was bad luck. We tried to draw but now we’re going to try and keep our advantage in the table and get the really amazing objective we have of Champions League.”

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)