PSG v Aston Villa: Unai Emery helped by 'experience' of historic La Remontada defeat to Barcelona in UEFA Champions League - 'Everything is possible'
Published 09/04/2025 at 11:01 GMT+1
Unai Emery will lead Aston Villa into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the Spaniard's 10th European last-eight tie, against his former side Paris Saint-Germain, no less. It was with the French champions that Emery suffered arguably the most humbling result of his career, but he has used it to improve as a coach as he looks to take Villa to the semi-finals.
Emery braced for ‘biggest challenge of the season’ as Villa take on PSG
Video credit: TNT Sports
Unai Emery says Paris Saint-Germain's historic UEFA Champions League 'Remontada' defeat to Barcelona back in 2017 helped him "get better" as a coach.
After a sensational 4-0 win in the first leg for Emery's PSG, the French side were totally undone in the return fixture at Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all on target as Luis Enrique's side claimed an astonishing 6-1 win against all odds to progress on aggregate.
Dubbed 'La Remontada', which translates to 'the comeback', Emery has looked back on that particular tie as he prepares to take on his old side in charge of Aston Villa - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
"Learning, trying to use positive things after each moment I had in football," the four-time UEFA Europa League winner told TNT Sports when asked how he has used past experiences to improve his stunning European record.
"Of course, sometimes being successful and sometimes not being successful.
"With a result like that, in football it can happen and I understand, in the level we're facing and the level I want to play, I want to achieve an objective.
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Barcelona celebrate victory against PSG in the Champions League.
Image credit: Getty Images
"Sometimes you can have some circumstances like that, and I always accept defeat and try to learn, [and use] these experiences to get better. Now, the process I have in front is everything I did before."
Emery is hoping to win his ninth European quarter-final in a row, and asked whether anything could happen in football, he added: "Always, always.
"I was in Spain when Spain won 12-1 against Malta [in 1983], a long time ago. But when it happened, of course, I was starting to understand [in] football, everything is possible.
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"Especially in my career as a coach, everything I did before and everything that happened before was something I accepted and something I am trying to use now, with the experiences with the players at Aston Villa and the players we have now, [and] try to create a new way in the football way and in our career as well, and as Aston Villa, be proud of how we do this work."
January signings have 'hit form' at crucial stage
Emery's side have been boosted by the January acquisitions of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, who have contributed to 16 goals between them in their first 23 games for the club.
Former Real Madrid star Asensio has netted an impressive eight goals in 11 games, while Rashford has chipped in with a handy trio of strikes and four assists.
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Tielemans explains how arrival of Rashford, Asensio and Malen has benefitted Villa
Video credit: TNT Sports
"They've given us fresh legs, whereas in the first part of the season, we had many injuries," Youri Tielemans told TNT Sports.
"We've had many players pulling out because they've not been ready enough to play games.
"The fact that they've come in, worked really hard and hit form straight away and fit into the team really well. It's a credit to those players coming in."
Stream the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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