Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said he was proud of his players despite their 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup, insisting the experience will be valuable to a young squad continuing to develop at the highest level.
Emery praised the temperament and performance of his players against the European champions, particularly those who have been progressing within the Villa set-up since the second half of last season.
“The experiences only are coming, playing and having days like today,” Emery said after the match.
The Spanish coach said the demanding occasion provided an important test of the progress made by his players during the previous six months, when the squad worked extensively on their development.
“They show with it today, how they are learning, how they are showing everything after hard work can do against one team like PSG,” he said.
Emery revealed that Villa had spent four weeks preparing during pre-season for the Super Cup, with particular emphasis on ensuring the players were physically ready for the intensity of the occasion.
He also defended his decision to give extended breaks to players who had been involved in the World Cup, including Emiliano Martínez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins, who did not travel for the match.
According to Emery, the trio will begin training with the squad after the Super Cup and will also miss Villa’s final pre-season fixture on Saturday.
“They are joining us after this match,” Emery said. “I wanted for them four weeks in holidays because the season was very long for them. And it’s going to be very demanding as well this year.”
The Villa manager believes having players properly prepared for the demands of the new season is more important than rushing their return.
“I think it’s better to play with the players working for weeks, preparing and being fit for this level,” he added.
Despite the defeat, Emery insisted that Villa could take confidence from their performance against PSG, acknowledging that the result could have gone either way.
“We could win, we could lose, we lost or we could draw,” he said.
The manager also acknowledged that Villa’s squad is likely to undergo further changes before the transfer window closes, with the club expected to remain active in the market.
“Normally there will be some changes more,” Emery said.
Villa’s preparations for the new season therefore remain a work in progress, with Emery accepting that the team will need to be rebuilt in certain areas while maintaining confidence in the direction of the project.
“We can feel proud of everything we did,” he said. “Of course we know how we will need to build again the team. Because with some changes we will need it.”
Emery nevertheless struck an optimistic tone about the season ahead, stressing that the experience gained from competing against PSG would contribute to the team’s continued development.
“We are confident, we are motivated,” he said. “We have in front a lot of work to do. But some work we show today to some players we did before. And this is the progression we want.”
The defeat ultimately denied Villa the Super Cup, but Emery’s assessment focused less on the immediate result and more on what the occasion revealed about the team’s development, preparation and readiness for another demanding campaign.