'The biggest mistake I witnessed in my career' - Emerypublished at 21:21 6 November
21:21 6 November
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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery on the bizarre penalty incident involving Tyrone Mings that led to Club Brugge's winning goal on Wednesday:
"His mistake is completely strange. It's the biggest mistake I witnessed in my career.
"We can make a mistake in the build-up, we work to try to control the games through keeping possession and trying to stop the possession and we did that in the first half fantastic.
"We lost one or two balls, but we were always in the position to recover, but this mistake is very, very strange.
"It's only happened one time in all my life."
On whether a lack of intensity was to blame for Villa's defeat:
"I don't know if it was intensity. It was a mistake. The first half we played like we were planning. We had two chances, we had some corners and didn't concede a corner from them.
"We didn't let them play in transition, we didn't make mistakes. The second half after the goal... it's Europe.
"I have played in Europe for 16 years in a row. This situation I had before, not a mistake like that, but I had before. I know the difficulties we are going to face.
"You watched the match and them playing, they finished exhausted. It was not intensity, the match changed completely after our mistake."
Club Brugge 1-0 Aston Villa: Mings' European debut turns into nightmarepublished at 21:17 6 November
21:17 6 November
Michael Emons BBC Sport journalist
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After a lengthy injury absence that kept Tyrone Mings out of action for 14 months, he would have relished the opportunity to start the Champions League match against Club Brugge.
Mings, capped 18 times by England, made a superb goalline clearance to keep it goalless in the first half, but ultimately his bizarre mistake proved costly as Aston Villa lost for the first time in the Champions League this season following three victories.
The defender, thinking Emiliano Martinez had not taken a goal kick, picked up the ball, placed it back in the six-yard box and knocked it to the goalkeeper, only for the referee to decide it was a handball offence and award a penalty, which was then converted.
That proved to be the only goal in Belgium as Villa missed the chance to return to the top of the league.
However, while Mings' error will get the headlines, boss Unai Emery will be equally disappointed at his side's failure to create clear chances when they had most of the second half to force an equaliser.
So it is nine points from 12 in the competition for Villa so far.
They have already beaten Bayern Munich and will be looking to forget about this match and create another magical night at Villa Park when they entertain Juventus at the end of the month.
'Quality on ball way below their usual standard'published at 20:16 6 November
20:16 6 November
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Ex-Aston Villa left-back Stephen Warnock on the 1-0 loss to Club Brugge:
"It was a poor Villa performance all round. They gifted Brugge their goal but they were sloppy defensively on a few other occasions too, and poor on the ball when they tried to build from the back.
"Once they were behind they did really not do enough to get back into the game. Their quality on the ball was way below their usual standard and there was not enough energy in their team.
"They are usually so creative in possession but their final ball was not good enough to break Brugge down, and I was particularly disappointed by their set-pieces."
Hear more from Warnock on MOTD: Uefa Champions League at 22:50 BST on BBC One and the BBC Sport website and app.
'Villa never really took the game to Brugge'published at 20:08 6 November
20:08 6 November
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Former Aston Villa striker Garry Thompson, speaking to BBC Radio WM about Villa's 1-0 loss to Club Brugge:
"It was a lack of concentration from Tyrone Mings [for the penalty incident] and I can understand it. He's played the other day, he's played again and this is a different level. He's just switched off and picked the ball up.
"Saying that, Villa never really took the game to Brugge and never caused them too many problems. It's almost like they felt they were expected to win this game, so they'll turn up, pass it a little bit and just win the game.
"These are the games in which your concentration levels have to be the highest.
"You play against the top teams like Bayern Munich and you know you're bang in for a game. You play this one, you've got to make sure you win the game and then you can bring players on and off and whatever, but you've got to make sure you win the game or get your noses in front. Villa never tried to do that."
Villa faithful get set in Brugespublished at 12:32 6 November
12:32 6 November
Steve Hermon BBC Radio WM Sport
Bruges is starting to fill up with Aston Villa fans now. The bars are full of claret and blue and the queue for the tickets is long. There are many fans who’ve travelled without a ticket just to sample the atmosphere in this beautiful and historic city.
'As Villa climb, Emery raises the sights further'published at 10:40 6 November
10:40 6 November
Mike Taylor BBC Radio WM reporter
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Claims that the Premier League is the world’s biggest, strongest and most popular competition are now heard so frequently that they have become almost banal. But my experiences covering some Villa games in Europe over the last year or so – and of reporting on Wolves in the Europa League five seasons ago – were a startling demonstration to the occasional football-traveller that this really is how many fans abroad see it.
We are of course familiar with Villa’s grand history, but until their surge under Emery, you could imagine that younger generations of European fans following the Premier League might not have known much about Villa. There was no doubt, though, that when Villa rolled into town last season, from Warsaw to Amsterdam to Piraeus, you could feel the buzz. People came out to see the Premier League roadshow, and you could sense their opponents were especially pumped up for the occasion, the same emotions that have powered underdog teams in the FA Cup for generations.
It brought the same perils. At their best, Villa were probably good enough to have won the Conference League last season, but came unstuck against Legia Warsaw and Olympiakos, less-fancied sides fired up by their fans. There was no question that they saw it as a giant-killing, and celebrated accordingly.
When Unai Emery talks of Villa’s Conference League experiences being their most relevant source of learning for this campaign, this is probably what he means. “Away matches were very difficult,” he said in Bruges last night. “Playing against some teams from England like us… they are very motivated. Maybe we can feel something like when we were playing against Bayern Munich at home, how we were feeling with our supporters and motivation, playing 100% focused and very intense and competitive… maybe Brugge are going to be the same.”
Villa are better equipped to handle these challenges now, after making smart signings and bringing back players after long-term injuries. Squad rotation no longer risks a major drop in performance, and tiring players do not need to be pushed to their limits because of limited credible alternatives. At the only away game so far, in Bern, Emery sent out a very strong side, and they won easily.
Top-24 qualification is almost assured already; so, true to form, Emery talked last night of what it would take to reach the top eight, even though his team were “not favourites” to be there. This is his method: as Villa climb, he keeps raising their sights a little further.
Listen to full commentary of Club Brugge v Aston Villa at 17:45 on Wednesday on BBC Radio WM
Emery on mental strength and Champions League progresspublished at 21:31 5 November
21:31 5 November
Nicola Pearson BBC Sport journalist
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Champions League game against Club Brugge (kick-off 17:45 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Emery confirmed that both Matty Cash and Ross Barkley have not travelled with the squad and are not available for the match.
On the importance of reminding players how well they have done after recent difficult results: "We are going to try and separate different competitions. We lost in the Carabao Cup and in Premier League and then a draw, but trying to separate and focusing in each moment how we are. Building the team we are trying to create. To be tactically always understanding in 90 minutes and feel strong enough, mentally and even emotionally. We are building this process."
He said the match against Brugge "is completely different" and his side are "very motivated and excited [by] each match".
Emery said it is "is really amazing what we can achieve" if Villa win on Wednesday as it brings them a step closer to being in the top eight.
He added: "Tomorrow we are aware of possibility to get a fourth victory and 12 points. The expectation to be in top eight is 16 or 17 points. The best teams in Europe will be there, but there will be some surprises. If we get there it will be a surprise."
On if the pressure is on them to win this game: "Not feeling it like pressure... If we are playing in a good level then for them [Brugge] it will be difficult, but if we are not, then it may be easier for them. We are respecting Club Brugge."
On if the next month is decisive in their season: "We are demanding, we are increasing our standards. We want to be consistent on the field. We are not favourites like other top teams in the Premier League. In Europe, there are other teams in front of us who are favourite. We are being competitive, from when I arrive here until today, at a high level. In the league we are competing in top five on average."
He added: "We have to work more than other teams. Other teams can have capacities to be favourite but our way is clearly to be a fighting team. Working hard mentally, tactically, emotionally, to be more intelligent than other teams."
Are Villa 'playing out a Jekyll and Hyde story'?published at 12:26 5 November
12:26 5 November
David Michael Fan writer
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The concern over recent weeks has been how Aston Villa seem to have been playing within themselves.
There were certain tests to see if their top-four position at the time was a true reflection of how their Premier League season was shaping up. Unfortunately, Villa have come up short.
This is no knee-jerk reaction to their 4-1 loss at Tottenham. Such results are budgeted in, considering Villa have suffered four 4-0 home losses to Spurs during their past 10 seasons as a Premier League team.
No, the issue runs deeper than that.
As the table stood after the game, they have failed to beat any team in the top half of the league. More concerning is that they are already seven points down on corresponding fixtures last season.
Unai Emery's ethos centres around control. While Villa embodied the word in the first half of last season, this time around they have laboured to wins from losing positions and let games slip they should have seen out.
Stats back up the eyeball test. According to Sofascore, Villa rank 15th in the league in terms of statistical performance, with FotMob ranking them 13th.
You do not have to do much of a deep dive to see why. Villa concede an average of 1.5 goals a game (13th in the league) and an average of 4.1 shots on target per game (15th).
At the moment, Villa are doing a good job of giving credence to the cliched media narrative that they cannot balance Champions League football.
While it is natural their focus would sharpen for their European games so far, Villa have greater depth then last season and are largely injury free.
This is not a team suffering fatigue - it is more a lack of spark.
That certainly cannot be said about the Champions League version of Villa. They are currently top of the table going into their fourth match, with zero goals conceded and firing on all cylinders.
Will this season play out as a Jekyll and Hyde story, or can Emery find an antidote to give his team the control they are seeking?
Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana has completed 51 of his 52 pass attempts while under high-intensity pressure in the Champions League this season. Of players to attempt at least 20 such passes, this was the highest completion rate across the first three matchdays.
Tottenham 4-1 Aston Villa - the fans' verdictpublished at 11:05 4 November
11:05 4 November
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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Tottenham and Aston Villa.
Here are some of your comments:
Tottenham fans:
Paul: We have to stop conceding goals from set-pieces. Whether that means getting a new keeper who is bigger and has more presence in his own box or becoming more organised defensively, it has to be done. Again we conceded first and that is also a nasty habit we need to change. Sarr was superb, as was Bentancur - and Dragusin had his best game yet for us.
Clare: We came out like a different team in the second half. Exciting, fighting for the ball and taking the game to Villa. This fast-paced, thrilling play is how most Spurs fans want them to play in every game. Not great to see Richarlison go down with what looked like some of kind of hamstring issue. Hoping it is not too serious.
Kieran: Spare a thought for those not in the goals. Sarr put in a shift. Quietly went about his business and most of our good play started with him. Ben Davies had big shoes to fill and showed his experience well. First time I've been impressed by Dragusin too. It's a squad game and ours looks to be deep. Ref was abysmal.
Neil: I almost prefer it when we go a goal down. We were on top throughout, but taking Sonny off at 1-1 was a big call. Ultimately, Ange got his subs right. Shame to see Romero go off, but he was starting to lunge at a few tackles so may have been a blessing, as going to 10 men would have been tough. Gutted for Richarlison, delighted for Dom and Madders.
Aston Villa fans:
John: Teams are finding us out. Emery needs to tweak things a little before we fall off the pace completely.
Tiago: In simple terms, Spurs wanted the win. Unai set up not to lose, played tippy-tappy football and we got caught out - plus Watkins missed a great chance to kill the game before half-time. Rogers' supporting role just didn't work - he was completely wasted up front and we missed his dynamic runs. Spurs put us in our place and deservedly so.
Paul: The temptation is for a knee-jerk reaction after a defeat like this. I actually didn't think the first-half performance was that bad, despite Spurs having most of the possession. The wheels came off after half-time, though, and once they got their second goal there was only one winner. No need to panic. We're still making great progress.
Colin: This loss has been coming all season and we have no excuses to make. A fully fit side who were almost all rested in midweek. We have been fortunate all season and have flattered to deceive - Duran wonder goals papering over the cracks. Performances have been decidedly mid-table and I suspect we'll be out of the Euro fight by Christmas.
'The lack of intensity was a concern'published at 09:39 4 November
09:39 4 November
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On Sunday's episode of Match of the Day 2, ex-England midfielder Danny Murphy was concerned by a "lack of intensity" shown by Aston Villa in their loss at Tottenham.
"They showed last season that they have resilience to bounce back from bad results so I don't worry about them in that respect," said the former Liverpool player.
"I thought the lack of intensity was a concern. I've rarely seen Villa play with as little intensity as that, they really didn't press high and they didn't seem to match Tottenham's endeavour and running.
"If you're playing, especially away from home, against a team who run more than you, cover more distance than you and pressurise the ball more than you, you're in trouble."
Image source, Getty Images
