Aston Villa bowed out of the Champions League on Tuesday night after a 5-4 aggregate defeat to PSG in our quarter-final tie.
A stirring second-half comeback saw Villa close to within a goal of forcing extra-time, but having missed chances in the latter stages, it wasn’t to be as our European run came to an end.
READ MORE: What Unai Emery said in assessment of Villa’s exit from Champions League
Goals from Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa saw us overturn a two-goal deficit on the night to emerge as victors, but having been hit on the counter-attack twice in the first half, coupled with our 3-1 defeat in Paris last week, we ultimately gave ourselves too much to do.
Focus will now switch to domestic objectives between now and the end of the season, but it was a Champions League campaign that we can be proud of, and one that will live long in the memories of the Villa faithful.
Pride the overriding feeling despite Villa exit
While there is naturally disappointment after seeing our Champions League run come to an end, the sense of pride undoubtedly outweighs it given what we’ve achieved in our first season back at Europe’s top table.
From the memorable individual wins against Young Boys and Bayern Munich, qualifying directly for the knockout phase, advancing to the quarter-finals and defeating a top-level PSG side at home.
We’ve had a great run, and the players, staff and supporters should all be proud of what we’ve done as it’s not only been thoroughly enjoyable, but we’ve shown an ability to compete at the top level.
European run crucial experience for future
Much like our Europa Conference League campaign last year, this run will serve as important experience for this group moving forward as we learn to compete with the best sides in Europe.
The players should now have a better awareness and understanding of what is needed to be able to flourish in Europe’s premier club competition, as well as the demands of the schedule and dealing with competing on multiple fronts.
PSG were a major test given how talented a side they are, and we should take a lot away from eventually having run them so close.
Full focus now on Champions League return, silverware
It’s a shame to see our European journey come to an end, but we have to put this disappointment behind us quickly, regroup and focus entirely on domestic objectives.
As well as the ongoing battle for a top-five finish in the Premier League, Villa have the opportunity to end our wait for silverware with the FA Cup, and so there are some crunch encounters still to come.
Naturally, it would be incredible to achieve back-to-back Champions League qualifications and it would not only strengthen our belief and progress, it will positively impact our ability to assemble a squad to consistently be involved by attracting the top players.
McGinn leads by example
The Villa skipper deserves a lot of praise for his efforts in this tie, as he led the way with his tenacity and energy to set the tone and example for his teammates to follow.
Aside from his goal in this game, he made his presence felt with the aggressiveness in his approach and the intensity and urgency with which he played to try and get us on the front-foot.
It’s been some journey for the Villa midfielder over the past few years, and he’ll hopefully continue to be a vital part of our plans and progress moving forward.
Watkins on the bench the right decision?
Without trying to end on a less positive note, one of the big decisions made by Emery was to leave Ollie Watkins on the bench again, despite his heroics and decisive impact last weekend at Southampton.
It seemed liked the ideal game for him to lead the line for us, but instead Marcus Rashford got the nod, and to his credit, he produced a pivotal display to help us pose a threat.
Nevertheless, it could be argued that he would have been more effective in a wide role with Watkins operating through the middle, and having worked so hard and contributed so much to help us get to this position, it was a shame not to see the Villa striker start in such a big game.
He’ll no doubt have a big role to play in our remaining games this season though, and it’s hoped that he can make a crucial contribution.
