Emery: Europa League Win Is Just the Start for Aston Villa

Unai Emery says Aston Villa's Europa League triumph over Freiburg is only the beginning as he sets his sights firmly on Champions League glory.

Unai Emery has made it abundantly clear that winning the Europa League is not the destination for Aston Villa — it is the launchpad. After guiding the club to a commanding 3-0 victory over Freiburg in Wednesday's final, the Spaniard was in no mood to dwell on what Villa have achieved. His eyes are already fixed on what comes next.

It is Villa's first major trophy since the League Cup in 1996, a landmark moment for a club that has been methodically rebuilt under Emery's management. Yet the manager brushed aside any suggestion this should be seen as the ceiling of their ambitions. "We are not going to stop," he said plainly, and there was nothing performative about it.

Champions League is the next challenge

Villa return to the Champions League next season, and Emery is treating it as exactly that — a challenge, not a coronation. "The best teams in the world are there and it will challenge us a lot," he said. "The Premier League is the most difficult league in the world. To be fighting top seven, top five, top four is something very difficult."

He has always been candid about where Villa sit in the English football hierarchy. "In the beginning we are not contenders for top seven," Emery acknowledged. "There are top seven teams. Top six, and Newcastle is the seventh. And we are trying to get there. To try to be consistent there. We are achieving it." That honesty, combined with the ambition behind it, is a significant part of what makes his management style resonate at Villa Park.

His vision, which he laid out at his very first press conference as Villa manager, has been to have the club competing for European football and then for trophies. "Play for Europe, play for trophies," he said. "This is the first one and we are achieving it." The Europa League win, in that context, is a proof of concept rather than a final destination.

Set pieces and the MacPhee factor

The opening goal against Freiburg illustrated just how meticulously Villa prepare. Youri Tielemans found space to crash home a ferocious volley from a well-designed set piece — the kind of move that has become a Villa trademark under set-piece coach Austin MacPhee.

Captain John McGinn was full of praise. "I'm biased, but we have a great set-piece coach in Austin MacPhee," he said. "We tried to deceive a bit with the set piece. We did it against Liverpool at the weekend. Youri has great quality to find the goal. It'd have been over the bar if it were me!"

Emery was equally effusive. "Austin is fantastic," he said. "We must be so, so demanding in our details. Everything we are working on makes sense. The hours in each training session each day to try to get as best as possible our challenges in set pieces. When we are scoring like that of course we are proud of what we're doing."

Martínez's extraordinary commitment

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, one of Villa's most important players across the campaign, reportedly required treatment during the final after playing through a broken finger — a detail that underlines the level of commitment running through this squad.

What it means for the table

Villa's European triumph also has significant implications for the final day of the Premier League season. As Europa League winners, they secure Champions League qualification regardless of their league finish — which could open up a sixth Champions League spot for another Premier League club should the table fall in the right way. Key final-day fixtures include Villa's trip to Manchester City, Liverpool hosting Brentford, and Sunderland facing Chelsea in what shapes up as a Europa League eliminator.

For now, though, Emery and Villa will savour this. A first European trophy, a return to the continent's biggest stage, and a manager who has made it absolutely clear: the best is still to come.

FAQs

Frequently asked

What trophy did Aston Villa win in 2026?: Aston Villa won the UEFA Europa League in 2026, beating Freiburg 3-0 in the final. It is the club's first major trophy since the League Cup in 1996.
Will Aston Villa be in the Champions League next season?: Yes. As Europa League winners, Aston Villa qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season, regardless of where they finish in the Premier League.
Who scored the opening goal in Villa's Europa League final win?: Youri Tielemans opened the scoring with a powerful volley from a set piece designed by Villa's set-piece coach Austin MacPhee.