Aston Villa ace explains method behind Unai Emery's Europa League magic

Pau Torres has promised Villa boss Unai Emery will leave no stone unturned in pursuit of a fifth Europa League crown.

Emery leads Villa into just their second major European final in Istanbul on Wednesday night, looking to extend his own superb record in the competition.

No manager has won more Europa League titles than the Spaniard, who claimed his fourth with Villarreal five years ago.

Torres was part of the team which beat Manchester United on penalties and the defender, who re-joined Emery at Villa in 2023, says the manager has not changed in his meticulous approach.

Villa’s players can expect extensive video sessions focusing on Wednesday’s opponents Freiburg.

Torres said: “More or less, he was the same in Villarreal, like he is here now.

“With his mentality and winning mentality, he is pushing a lot to work with players during the season and arrive at this moment with the opportunity to win a trophy.

“He is concerned about the opportunity we have now - it is an amazing opportunity to play in a European final for this club.

“He knows everything about the opponents. His staff analyses the other teams and, when we face them, we will know what to do on the pitch.”

Villa have already secured their primary objective of Champions League qualification through a top-five Premier League finish, having missed out on goal difference 12 months ago.

But Torres acknowledges it is trophies which supporters truly crave and Wednesday offers a golden chance to end the club’s 30-year wait for major silverware.

“As a team, we don’t know if we will have another chance to play a final together,” said Torres.

“We played quarter-finals and semi-finals before, but playing a final is really difficult, so we need to enjoy the moment, giving our best to the team.

“For us to win a trophy, it is important, obviously, for the club to be in Europe too.

“For finances and prestige of the club as well. At the end, if you don’t win a trophy, for the fans they think, ‘OK, you have done really good seasons, but we want more’. Hopefully, we can win the trophy in Istanbul.”

Asked how big an objective it is for Emery, he replied: “For him, the main objective is to play in the Champions League every year.

“We were really disappointed last season when we lost against United (on the final day).

“Now that we have done the job in the league, we can focus on the trophy.

“For the fans, this is the most important thing, enjoying these moments and, for those people who can go, hopefully we can celebrate together on Wednesday night.”