Unai Emery wants excitement and motivation to remain high for final Champions League group game

In the 7th round of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League group stage, Aston Villa lost 0-1 to Monaco. Coach Unai Emery hopes that the team can maintain excitement and motivation to face the last Champions League group match.

In the 8th minute of the game, Monaco scored a goal and took the lead. Although Aston Villa successfully defended the goal afterwards, they did not score and lost the game.

In the post-match interview, when the reporter asked about the team's performance in the game, Emery said: "We played very well for 70 minutes in the game."

"We conceded a goal because of poor defending from set pieces. We were even worse in attacking set pieces than we were in defending. We conceded a goal from a corner. We had more options in our own attacking corners but didn't take advantage of them well."

"Although we didn't score, overall we were on the right track. However, in the last 20 minutes, our position on the field was a little out of control and the cooperation between the two strikers was not good enough. This is the challenge we face and we must overcome it."

There is only one round left in the Champions League group stage, and Aston Villa will face Celtic at home on January 30. Aston Villa is currently ranked 8th in the Champions League standings, but if they lose the next game, they will be kicked out of the quarterfinals.

Emery was not discouraged by the loss and remained optimistic about the current situation. Emery said: "In the Champions League, we had hoped to squeeze into the top eight, but now it has become very difficult to enter the top eight."

"Nevertheless, we have to keep on keeping excited and motivated. A lot of Aston Villa fans came here to support us today and I am grateful to them. Even if we lost today, we have to keep working hard and enjoy our journey in the Champions League."