NEW DELHI: Unai Emery will hope a return to the Europa League this week serves as the spark plug that ignites Aston Villa’s season, while Nottingham Forest embark on their first European campaign in three decades.
Emery is the most successful manager in Europa League history, having lifted the trophy three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal, and also guiding Arsenal to the 2019 final.
Yet, his current side has struggled to get going domestically. Villa remain winless in their first five Premier League games and had failed to score before Sunday’s 1-1 draw at 10-man Sunderland.
“Our start, we’ve not been doing well, ” admitted the Spaniard, who cut a frustrated figure after the draw. “There is still work to do; some players are adapting in the squad and our idea, and they will need time. Other players were here last year and know how we want to build the team and how we were being successful in the last three years.”
Villa reached the quarterfinals of last season’s Champions League, losing 5-4 on aggregate to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain. After narrowly missing out on qualification for the competition again, they now begin their first Europa League main-draw campaign since 2008–09 at home to Bologna on Thursday — a repeat of their 2-0 win over the Italians in the Champions League last October. Bologna qualified this year by winning the Italian Cup, their first major trophy since 1974.
Like Emery, Nottingham Forest’s new boss Ange Postecoglou also knows the feeling of Europa League glory. The Australian, appointed earlier this month, ended Tottenham’s long trophy drought by beating Manchester United in last season’s final. Still, he is searching for his first victory at Forest following two defeats, including an early League Cup exit, and Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Burnley.