After Aston Villa's 1-4 defeat against Columbus Crew in an international soccer friendly, manager Unai Emery gave an in-depth analysis and reflection on his team's performance. He specifically mentioned the comeback of striker Buendia and the challenges and rewards the team has faced on the pre-season tour.
Buendia's comeback: a ray of hope
Emery began by emphasizing the importance of Buendia's return to action. He said, "Buendia's comeback is undoubtedly the best news we've received, and after a year of waiting, he's finally able to suit up for the team again. Our whole team is genuinely happy to have him back and are actively helping him to get back into game shape and make even more progress." Emery singled out Buendia for his excellent play in the first 30 minutes he was on the pitch, which instilled confidence in the team and gave him hope for the future of the team.
Facing up to losses and looking to the future
Emery showed his calmness and rationality as a manager for the loss. He believes that the main purpose of the pre-season tour is to allow the team to adapt before the official matches, and the opponents were very focused and played well, thus creating a lot of pressure on Villa. Although the team was in control of the game for a while, the opponents maintained a good rhythm of offense and defense, and eventually won the game.
Emery emphasized, "The 1-4 scoreline is obviously not the result we wanted, but at this moment in time, the scoreline and the result are not the most important. We are more interested in building a more united and combative team through the game, as well as further understanding the characteristics and abilities of each player." He said the team is trying out new tactical pairings and personnel combinations in order to perform better in future matches.
Positive comments on player performance, looking ahead
Despite the loss, Emery still had positive things to say about the performances of some of the players in his team. He specifically mentioned the goals scored by players such as Onana, Mattsson, Dobbin and Archer as being equally important to the team. He said, "I'm happy with what we're doing and although we still need to be more competitive, every goal, every attempt is a valuable asset for the team's growth."
Finally, Emery looked ahead to the future of the team. He said, "We need to continue to work hard in the upcoming matches and keep improving our competitive level and teamwork. Pre-season is a good opportunity to exercise, and we will make full use of this time to sharpen our lineup, adjust our tactics, and get fully prepared for the upcoming season."
