The Debrief: Aston Villa win the Europa League

0:00This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

0:29CFO. LinkedIn has a word for that. Bull spend. Now you can invest in what looks good to your CFO. LinkedIn ads generates the highest ROAS of all major ad networks. You'll reach the right buyers because you can target by company, industry, job title, and more. So cut the bull spend. Advertise on LinkedIn. The network that works for you. Spend$250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a 250 credit for the next one. Just go to linkedin.com slash broadcast. That's linkedin.com slash broadcast. Terms and conditions apply. Today's episode is sponsored by Smart Travel, a podcast from NerdWallet.

1:14You know that one friend who always finds the best travel deals, picks the right credit cards, and somehow ends up in first class for the price of coach? Smart Travel is like that friend, but in podcast form. NerdWallet's Travel journalists sort out what's worth paying for, from lounge access to travel advisors to hotel loyalty programmes. Make your travel dollars work harder. Follow Smart Travel on your favourite podcast app. On the Football Daily Podcast, The Debrief. With Mark Chapman. Hello, welcome to the Football Daily Pod. Aston Villa have been crowned Europa League champions. They've beaten Freiburg 3-0 in the final to win their first major European trophy since 1982.

1:57There is an awful lot of dancing going on from fans and players alike. Emi Martinez was stood on one of the electronic advertising boards, hugging those Villa fans, a couple of them holding him up as well. I mean, these, Ashley, you'll have seen them on your monitor as well. Ashley Young is with us, Mark Albright and Ian Dennis. These are great seats for players and fans alike here. It's incredible. It's absolutely incredible. The scenes there now, the way that the players are celebrating, the fans and stuff. It was just an incredible performance and, you know, they deserved it. As soon as that first goal went in, it was all Villa.

2:37They went and got the second goal and you're seeing exactly the way that the players are now. Celebrating with the fans, everybody's dancing, everybody's at stake. Like, you know, for them fans waiting for so long to get more silverware, for it to happen in this way and the way that they've gone about the job today, it's unbelievable. I'm just so happy for the players, so happy for the staff, so happy for the club. It happens rarely, doesn't it, Ashley, that you can, I'm guessing, as a group of players, enjoy the last 20 minutes of a final because you are so comfortably ahead. Yeah, of course.

3:11And, you know, it's like I said, when they went and got that third goal, I think that was going to be one of the things that Unai said at half-time. Listen, this next goal is going to be vitally important. We make sure that we go out there and we get it. And as soon as they got it, you know, you started seeing Palo Torres playing out from the back. You know, he started looking more and more comfortable for Jiri Tielemann. You know, Enri Buendia would probably be disappointed with the chance that he tried to chip the keeper. He gets inside that and a few of the boys have had a few words to say to him.

3:40But, you know, it was just fantastic. when you're in a final and you've got the 20 minutes to play of the game and it's just so easy and, you know, you're just playing comfortable. Freiburg, you know, they were disappointed with the second goal of winning and I think it just deflated them. They had nothing to come back from after that and, you know, it was easy for Villa after that as well. I think at the moment Ian Puendia is on Martinez's shoulders, isn't he? With an Argentina flag draped around the two of them. I think they're better that way round than Martins trying to get on Buendia's shoulders.

4:14Yeah, they've just put him down. But then Unai Emery is now over there as well. He's celebrating, he's got his clenched fists with both hands held aloft. They're jumping up and down and now they've lifted Unai Emery. Unai Emery onto the shoulders of the Villa players. His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, is watching on. But this is footballing royalty with Unai Emery. The King of the Europa League has just been held aloft. The first manager to win it with three different clubs. A fifth European title. Now he's put back down on terra firma and he's being hugged by every one of his players. He has the process, he has the nous and Aston Villa have won it.

4:56Five Europa Leagues, six European finals, more than any other manager since 2010. He's delivered Villa's first trophy since the League Cup in 1996. 96 and as we were sort of talking about earlier as well Ashley you know he's done it through coaching and that may sound odd when you're talking about head coaches of football clubs but so many of that of that team that squad were there when he arrived that's exactly that and do you know he's he's just a winner he's just a born winner and especially in this competition he's shown it time and time and time again like you said before the show before the game started you know put his name up there alongside Ancelotti alongside Mourinho what he's done tonight he's he's turned the club into one getting them back into the Champions League putting them back into Europe two now on a night like tonight you know I swear there must be about 20 ,000 Villa fans out there yeah the planes going from Birmingham going from all over all over England going to be out there to be part of what Unai has just achieved with the players that most of the players that were there when he first come in.

6:05If you had said when we was in 16th position, before he'd come in, they'd be winning the Europa League, not one player would be saying that that was going to be true. But he's just got away and he's coached the players, like you say, in his style. And I think there are a lot of Villa fans, when he first come in, there was a few groans and there was a few moans and the players had to come out and say, just stick with us, just understand what it is we're doing. And do you know what? He's implemented that onto the players non-stop and to be crowned champions tonight. in the way that they did, in the way that they won this game, it's just befitting of Unai and the way that he is.

6:39Let me read you some of what the Villa players have been saying to TNT on the pitch afterwards. Uri Tielemans, we put in a shift. We only had one day to practice on Monday. It went brilliantly tonight. It's been a season with a lot of ups and downs. We started so badly, but the way we turned things around was great. Credit to the staff, credit to the players, credit to the fans. We heard them all game long. Morgan Rogers said great moment for the fans the club it's history the manager has been banging on to me to get easier goals in the box happy I could get a toe on it I tried to give my all and give my best and see what happens and Ollie Watkins said to perform like that we controlled the game we punished them in the end this is what you dream of you have ups and downs and we pulled through in the end we've got Champions League football and the fans well that's indescribable let's hear from Unai Emery The ambitions of the club as well is very important.

7:35And how we did the process and we are of course in this process makes sense everything we did and how we are achieving this trophy. And how we are getting our development clearly in different processes strongly. And with this trophy we are sure we need as well and the club as well in a lot of things is trying to get better. Of course, my dream when I arrived here was play Europe, play for trophies, to dream trophies. This is the first one we're achieving. We played before two semifinals in Conference League and in FA Cup. We were close and the experiences we are having, experiences like today as well, is very important how we can as well get better.

8:22and of course a lot of players with experience as well having trophies, someone not, or myself, but the most important is how we are doing here. And it makes sense with this club because after 1982 the club won the Euro Cup, Cup Europe was something they are missing it, the support not for the Champions League or for something, it's for a trophy and achieving this one is something make us so so happy, so proud of everything we are working but we are not going to stop. It's interesting isn't it Mark that a couple of the players there have mentioned the ups and downs of this season. Yeah, I think because it took its toll so much at the start of the season, obviously there's players that have been there for a while and they had the success of last season in terms of the Champions League nights, that they were beating teams like Bayern Munich, they've beaten teams like PSG, and then all of a sudden you get into it and you can't win a game.

9:35and that's football sometimes that does happen but it still gets you in a low moment and it's hard to get out of that, it's hard to flip your mentality. Momentum's a massive thing in football in both senses whether you're low on momentum and it's got a downward spiral and then you can have the same the opposite way and they've experienced both of it but it's not easy and these players have turned it around and credit to them, the manager and the players, because they could have folded during that season when they were going through that bad spell, but they worked and they worked and they worked.

10:13We know how tough Unai Emery is on them in training, in games, and they're willing to learn, they're willing to put it right, and this is their reward for it. There are a couple of things that I thought with the goals, and then Morgan Rodgers has kind of gone and disproved it a little bit, Ashley with the quote about Una Emery wanting to get easier goals in the box. Villa went through a phase where it felt like every goal was being scored from outside the box and Emery Buendia was getting quite a few of those earlier in the season. So I know Tielemans was just inside the box, but the quality of those two finishers felt very reminiscent of Villa earlier on in the season.

10:52And there aren't quite a lot of managers who don't like their players to shoot from outside the box, do they? Because stats show they're less likely to go in. but Villa have scored quite a lot of spectacular goals this season. And then Morgan Rodgers, who scored some of those, that goes and says, well, Una Emery wants me to get easier ones. Yeah, and I'm sure, you know, Una would love him to get easier goals, but I'm sure he's not going to turn around and say to him when he's getting the goals from outside the box. Don't be shooting from there, is he? So, you know, it's one of them things that a manager will always want players to get tap-ins and whatnot.

11:21But like you say, a lot of Villa's goals have come from outside the box. And I think that's just been worked on in training. and when you see the opportunities to shoot from outside the box and you've got the confidence and you know what you can do outside the box, then why not shoot? It's like Emi Buendias, he had half a yard, you saw him look up and he's got one thought in his mind to curl it in at the far post and he was able to do that. To be honest, I think that Morgan Rodgers' finish comes a lot from actually Oli Watkins, his run. He takes the defender away from the near post because I think he thinks Emi Buendias is going to cross it earlier and then he makes a great run across from the back post to get across the front post.

11:58And, you know, you talk that as a kid and, you know, I'm sure he was delighted to see that one go in. And, you know, it's like what I said, I'm just delighted for every single one of them because they was all fantastic tonight. Just to back that up, Aston Villa has scored more goals from outside the penalty area than any other Premier League side in all competitions this season since the Club World Cup. they're getting ready to do the trophy presentation. Aston Villa players have formed a guard of honour for the Freiburg players to go through. And I'm sure you saw this, Ian, just then, but I thought it was very interesting.

12:32Una Emery just gave a sort of little pep talk to Emi Buendia, didn't he, then? Just the two of them alone, just having a little chat. I'll be honest with you, I'm watching other things. I didn't actually see that, Mark, but I don't doubt you for a moment. I was watching the Freiburg... What were you watching? I was watching the Freiburg players walk to the penalty area away towards our left, where the Aston Villa players have formed a guard of honour. The referees are actually walking through that guard of honour at the moment, Francois Letexier and the rest of the officials. And striding forward through the Villa players is Ulay Emery, who's pushed and jostled, and still his black slick hair is unmoved as he turns to acknowledge the Aston Villa supporters.

13:16And then Uri Tielemans, who got the first goal for Aston Villa, leads the Villa players up that small step onto that black shiny plinth and the medals are being handed out and a special moment to acknowledge that nine members of the squad of that European Cup winning side of 1982 are here watching on as the Freiburg players applaud the Aston Villa squad onto the plinth as they watch on and Villa after 44 years just a matter of time before that silverware that is just touched and rubbed by Buendia is going to be held aloft. Yeah, this moment now for Villa is something that's been a long time coming and it gets the guru off the back and they can start looking forward now, they can start moving on and start building on this success to try and be a force, Try and really be a powerful force in English football, in European football as well.

14:19This is a great platform. Emi Martinez, a World Cup winner, has just kissed his Europa League winner's medal. And John McGinn is the last to stride forward. It might weigh 15 kilos. It doesn't look like it weighs that. He said tonight would be the proudest moment as Aston Villa captain. And as the ticker tape machines blow that gold and silver dust into the Istanbul air on this incredible night, the Europa League trophy is held aloft and Aston Villa, after their success in 1982, have more European glory. It's been quickly shared by the Aston Villa players. Tyrone Mings, Morgan Rodgers, who's got the third goal.

15:09and now they wait for the team photo behind the Europa League trophy. Yet another Europa League crown for Unai Emery and still the Freiburg players watch on. But it's all about Aston Villa. They are the Europa League winners. And for the first time since 72 and 73, English clubs have won the competition in back-to-back finals. We are the champions. Aston Villa fans in fine voice. Really couldn't have been a more perfect evening, Ashley, could it? You know, three of their most impressive performers this season in Rodgers and Buendia and Tielemans get the goals and then a man who has become Mr Aston Villa lifts the trophy at the end of it, John McGinn.

16:02It couldn't have gone better for them tonight. No, that's exactly it. I'm sitting here now, I'm so proud of, for Guinea, for him, picking up that trophy, for what he's done for that club, for what he gives to that club. It's just phenomenal. Day in, day out, he is literally Mr Aston Villa, and it's just so good to see him lift the trophy. But like I said, from the first whistle right until the end, every man there played their part. Everyone had a job to do, and they'd done it. none other than Victor Lindelof. You know, I think a lot of people would be saying that, you know, he only played 65 minutes, but what he gave to that team in that centre midfield role, and I've seen it in Victor as well, I knew he could play centre midfield, and a lot of people would be like, what's he like doing playing centre midfield?

16:49He is definitely one of them players that can play centre midfield, he knows how to play, he was winning the ball back, he was passing forward, he was playing forward. It was just a good, wholesome team performance by every single person out there, and every single one of them deserve the accolades that they should be getting tonight. For what they've produced today, for everything they've done for that club tonight, the celebration should be unbelievable tonight. Tell us what John McGinn's like then. He is a crazy geezer. He's a mad Scotsman. But when I say he's the first one in, he's the last one out, he's a typical true captain.

17:27that, you know, from the time I joined the club, to see him, you know, the way he goes about it, the way he helps everyone else, he puts everyone before himself. When he's on a training pitch, he's one of the hardest working players out there. And to see him lift his trophy tonight, you know, it's just a proud moment for me to see, you know, just to see him because of just what he gives to that club. Mark Albrighton, there are all sorts of lovely heartwarming stories here aren't there whether whether it is McGinn and everything that he's given to Villa and now he gets the reward whether it is and I keep going back to Buendia now who scored in the quarterfinals and the semifinals and the final of this year's Europa League for a player who has had some very tough tough times through injury yeah you can look all over the pitch and there's players that have had disappointment, that have bounced back and shown character.

18:29I look at Esri Konza at the back as well and he's, when Villa picked him up, there was no way on earth that he would have dreamt about this moment and been able to achieve this and it's a credit to him, the way that he's worked and followed what he's been told But again, I know we've spoke about him so often, but this is the manager. This is how the manager has built these players up and got them ready for occasions like this. And to be able to turn up, it's not an easy thing to turn up as clear favourites in a final and go and put on the performance that they did. And each one of them was just so professional throughout.

19:16and like you say, Emi Buendia at the heart of it again. He was fantastic in the semi-final to get them here in the first place and then to come into the final and do what he did is incredible and the players celebrating now deserve every plaudit that they get in the coming days. What do you hope that winning this and being back in the Champions League coupled with the reputation of Unai Emery does for the club going forward. A club, remember, who have found the transfer market, in particular, it feels, quite difficult to navigate because of whatever financial rules they're constrained by. I hope it allows them to build on this steadily.

20:07I don't think there's any need to try and make it happen fast and become a giant force so fast. I think the main thing is keeping people at the club that are important to the club because Unai Emery is the main one. If he stays at the club, I'm just looking down at the pitch now and the amount of staff that are on the pitch, the amount of staff that are involved in this and they're all Emery's people. He was allowed to have free reign coming into this football club of people that he wanted to bring in, members of staff in departments that he wanted. He was able to do what he wanted and he's done it.

20:49He was trusted to do it and that trust has now paid off. So it's important that the structure of that stays. It's important that the structure is carried on through and then you can build and build and build gradually as they have done in recent years. Ashley, what next? I think it's going to be a lot of rest for these players. just enjoy this moment. As footballers, you know, at times you don't get to enjoy these moments, but I think they'll celebrate definitely and enjoy this moment. And then, you know what it's like? You come back pre-season, you start rebuilding. You know, they want to build on what they've done this season, not just winning this trophy tonight, but getting in the Champions League.

21:32They had a blip, you know, first part of the season, and have turned that round in a way that, you know, no one's talking about it anymore. They're talking about the success that they've produced tonight, the success that they've produced throughout the season. And like I said, at times they were third, they were second, they were looking to try and get a top spot in the Premier League. Will that be the next goal? A man like Unai that I know that he is, he's going to be saying the next goal is now to finish higher in the league, possibly trying to push the top two. That's where I think his goals are at.

22:07And, you know, he's going to want a good campaign in the Champions League to get as far as possible. You know, they had a good campaign the last time they was in it. But, you know, I think it's now to go away and just keep building on what the success of tonight has done. It's an interesting point, actually, with everything with Unai Emery there, because we were having the discussion last night after Arsenal had won the title. a lot of Arsenal's rivals are not unstable but they don't have the continuity that Arsenal have got at the moment you know there's all sorts of drama going on at Liverpool City look like they're going to be looking for a new manager United will be starting a new season with Michael Carrick as their permanent head coach Chelsea has started with a new head coach as well sometimes they're not classed as part of the big six or whatever it may be, but actually a Champions League club who are finishing the top four at the moment, who do have that stability are Villa.

23:12So you could argue they're ahead of some of these other clubs as well, couldn't you? You know, I think it's one of the things that I had a conversation with somebody the other day and we're still talking about Tottenham being one of the top six, yet no one's really talking about Villa. and Villa have been in the Champions League. They're finishing the top four, top five, top six. But yet still, we don't talk about Villa being in the top six and I don't know how because of the size of the club as well. With this tonight as well, the way that they've gone about it, I think they were written off for the first part of the season and look at the way they've produced and finished the season.

23:49Everybody's got to start talking about Villa being a top six club and when you talk about stability, Biller have got the stability Mark Albrighton just alluded to it there Unai's come in and he's got his people around him and he's turned the club, the owners back him non-stop and that's exactly what he wants to be the driver of this ship and that's exactly what he is you know he's the driving force in this and with the success that he's had he's making everybody else buy into that the owners buy into that and they live literally off his every word and so whatever he says now after winning tonight whatever he wants next season I'm sure they're going to back him and do whatever it takes for Aston Villa to be called not just a top six club a top four club Will be interesting where people pitch Villa next season Ian Yeah I would agree with everything that Ashley and Mark have been saying I mean the financial constraints really have hampered them this season and you know sometimes it's very very hard to then try and compete with clubs such as Manchester City who were able to bring in Semenya and Gahey in January.

24:57I mean, that was why Emi Martinez, you know, there was a lot of questions about his future last year, even at the start of this season, wasn't there? They've got something to build on now and they've got something to attract players as well. You know, that this is a side that can compete, can win trophies. They know that they're going to be in the Champions League again, which is so important for them if they are to progress. To be in the Champions League year in, year out. but the other thing is it's easy to forget that Villa were only in the Premier League seven years ago so in some senses they've come a long way in such a short space of time that they're now able to challenge but the longer that they are in the Champions League it gives them a greater opportunity of matching that consistency to sustain such a challenge Also we have a brilliant production team they give me all sorts of fascinating stats and facts and figures that are real nuggets that take our coverage to the next level.

25:51Do you know, Ian, what the link is between all the teams that Unai Emery has won the Europa League with? I do, because Owen, our engineer, told me weeks ago about this. Oh, God. Smart Alex. I've also posted it on social media, but Sevilla, Villarreal and Aston Villa all contain the word Villa in it. It's the first one down as far as the English clubs are concerned. Next Wednesday, Crystal Palace in the Conference League. And then a week on Saturday, Arsenal in the Champions League. Ever invest in something that seemed incredible at first, but didn't live up to the hype? Like those$5 roses at a gas station?

26:33Or a second-hand piece of technology that breaks in the first 10 minutes? Marketers know that feeling. We optimise for the numbers that look great. Impressions, reach and reacts. But when they don't show revenue, well, that's a not-so-great conversation with the CFO. LinkedIn has a word for that. Bullspend. Now you can invest in what looks good to your CFO. LinkedIn Ads generates the highest ROAS of all major ad networks. You'll reach the right buyers because you can target by company, industry, job title, and more. So cut the bullspend. Advertise on LinkedIn, the network that works for you. Spend$250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a 250 credit for the next one.

27:22Just go to linkedin.com slash broadcast. That's linkedin.com slash broadcast. Terms and conditions apply. Your social media feed says eat more protein, track your sleep, boost your VO2 max, wake up in cold plunge, cleanse yourself of parasites, You're intrigued, but confused. So where can you turn? Welcome to Health vs. Hype, the show where we take the loudest wellness trends on the internet and ask the questions only science can answer. What's real, what's exaggerated, and what is completely wrong? I'm Trace Dominguez. Each episode, we show the science behind viral health claims, from high-protein diets to cold plunges, detoxing to sleep tech obsession.

28:05And we talk to the people in the middle of it all. Influencers, the curious, but more importantly, Doctors and researchers. Not to cancel the trend, not to hype it more, but to understand it. Listen to Health vs. Hype with the American Medical Association on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Slow the scroll. Start asking better questions. I'm Piers Lee.

29:005 Live Sports Cricket on Five Live Sport. Oh, I've lived in every ball of this. Listen on BBC Sounds. On the Football Daily Podcast. The Debrief. With Mark Chapman. The other big story this evening is that Southampton's appeal against being thrown out of the Championship playoff final for spying has been rejected. We're going to talk to Radio Solent Sports editor Adam Blackmore and BBC Football Issues correspondent Dale Johnson. I'll start with you, Dale. I mean, they've been adamant, this appeal. There is no coming back for Southampton. Yeah, this is it. There's no chance to go to the court to develop arbitration for sport.

29:43This independent arbitration panel was the final chance they had to get it overturned. So the championship playoff final between Holstead and Millsborough will take place at 3.30 on Saturday. Southampton's statement is long. It's an extremely disappointing outcome, they say, for everybody connected with Southampton. We know how painful this moment will be for our supporters, players, staff, commercial partners and the wider community. We apologise once again to everyone impacted by this. We acknowledge the seriousness of the matter, but the club has consistently believed the original sporting sanction was disproportionate, a view that has been widely shared by many in the football community over the last 24 hours.