Unai Emery on how he orchestrated Villa’s win vs Bayern as Champions League football returned to Villa Park after 4 decades.
Unai Emery spoke on how they targeted Bayern’s particular weakness en route to a 1-0 win at Villa Park.
He claimed that after Jhon Durán lobbed the Bayern Munich goalkeeper to achieve a historic Champions League triumph, Aston Villa targeted Manuel Neuer’s sweeper-keeper tendencies.
Durán replaced Ollie Watkins as a substitute to score a late winner to defeat the six-time champions by a goal. This consequently mirrored their victory over the same side in the 1982 European Cup final in Rotterdam.
In stoppage time in the second half, Emiliano Martínez made a fantastic save to deny Harry Kane an equaliser. Emiliano Martínez stated that manager Unai Emery had shown his players clips of Bayern’s captain standing high up on the pitch.
“In the analysis we did of them [Bayern], we were aware. We were speaking a lot about how the position of Neuer is usually always high,” the Villa manager confirmed. “I knew how he [Durán] would shoot because he had in his mind this possibility with Neuer.”
Martínez praised super sub Durán, who has scored five goals off the bench this season. It is including winners against West Ham, Everton and Leicester. “He came back with a different mentality this season,” said the Villa goalkeeper. “He’s willing to work hard, he’s pushing Ollie all the way. They can play together, he’s a super sub. The first time he touched the ball, he lobbed Neuer, one of the best goalies in history.”
The Villa forward Morgan Rogers added of Durán: “When I came to the club I didn’t have a clue he was 20. The way he plays, he’s such a handful for defenders when he comes on with all that energy. He knows he’ll get that chance and backs himself 100%. Every game is exactly the same; he’s the most chilled, relaxed person I’ve ever met. He’s a different animal when he’s playing.”