Emery after Aston Villa’s defeat to Barcelona: We are still far from the elite level

Unai Emery said Aston Villa’s 0-3 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League showed that his team had not yet reached the level needed to compete with Europe’s elite clubs.

Lamine Yamal scored Barcelona’s first goal, before Raphinha scored twice in the second half. The report said this was Emery’s fifteenth defeat in 16 matches at Barcelona’s ground, and came on the day of his fifty-fifth birthday.

Emery explained that his team had gained information and experience from the match that they could analyse and learn from. He noted that Aston Villa created chances and came close to scoring, but needed to be more clinical in the attacking third. He added that losing by three goals may have been a heavier defeat than the team deserved, but he accepted the result.

The report added that Prince William watched the match from the stands, as Emery acknowledged that his team had a long way to go to match Barcelona’s level. The manager had led Aston Villa from the lower reaches of the English league to the Champions League in four years.