How Aston Villa overcame 'bad moments' to stand on the brink of UEFA Europa League glory

The distinctive Brummie accent can be heard in cafes, bars and restaurants along the banks of the Bosporus ahead of the UEFA Europa League final, in which Villa will take on Freiburg, confident of victory.

How times change.

A decade ago, while the world was coming to terms with Leicester City’s shock Premier League title win, the other end of the table produced its own shocking story as one of the league’s powerhouses completed a dismal campaign to fall through the relegation trap door.

Aston Villa were nothing short of a mess. Under the ownership of American Randy Lerner, the club lacked anything resembling stability and a coherent plan and bounced between managers until the inevitable occurred and the team fell out of the top flight.

Lerner eventually sold to Chinese businessman Tony Xia, but things didn’t improve as financial troubles threatened the very existence of the club off the pitch, with things not much better on it.

Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens then came in to replace Xia and fortunes started to change as Dean Smith led the club to promotion via the playoffs in 2019 following three years in the second tier.

They would not merely return to make up the numbers, however, as Villa were revitalised and had their sights set on greater things.

Former Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Sevilla manager Unai Emery arrived in the dugout in 2022 to help achieve those ambitions and the Spaniard hasn’t disappointed.

Emery has led the club back into the UEFA Champions League, muscling their way through the traditional ‘big six’ and even mounting respectable title challenges in recent years.

Now, this has culminated in Emery and Villa being handed the chance to write their names in history in Turkey.

”It's been a great roller coaster,” former Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov told TNT Sports ahead of the final.

”Sometimes when you go through bad moments, you always expect to have good moments, but to have a good moment you have to recruit well.

”I think with the takeover from the new ownership, appointing the right manager in Unai Emery has given a chance to build up, to have a project and to have a manager who has a vision, but also a capability to achieve and to give the Villa opportunity to be sustainable in the European football.

”That's why we are here today, it's going to be an incredible night for Aston Villa.”

Villa are among England’s most successful clubs, particularly in the early years of the sport, winning a total of seven league titles, seven FA Cups and five League Cups.

They have also seen success in Europe, lifting the then-European Cup in 1982, beating another German side, Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rotterdam – the omens are good, right?

The club are also no strangers to making finals even in recent years, but since League Cup success in 1996, the next three decades have only brought heartache on the biggest stages.

In 2000, they were beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup final, and their next visit to Wembley 10 years later saw them lose to Manchester United in the League Cup final.

A year before their relegation, they suffered a heavy loss to Arsenal to miss out on the FA Cup, and then fell to Manchester City in the League Cup final the season following promotion.

They undoubtedly go into this final as favourites, but for the thousands of supporters descending on Istanbul, caution is very much an ingredient mixed in with their optimism.

On the flip side, they will be looking to Emery’s record in this competition as a means of boosting that optimism, having famously lifted the trophy more times than any manager in history: three triumphs with Sevilla, and one with Villarreal.

”Unai Emery's just come and put them back probably where they deserve to be, and it just shows you how important a leader is and a brilliant manager is," says TNT Sports expert Owen Hargreaves.

”For them to be in this position in three and a half years, what he's built up here, to probably win a European trophy, to be into the Champions League, I wouldn't be surprised if they're in the title race next year or the year after.

”And to do on the budget that he's done it, in the time that he's done it, I mean, he's one of the top five coaches in the world, fact.”

The Villa squad is also packed with talent, from World Cup-winning Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, to captain John McGinn – who has been with the club since their Championship days, to midfield dynamo Morgan Rogers and England striker Ollie Watkins, among others.

It’s expected that they will have too much for a Freiburg side undoubtedly punching above their weight, but will take nothing for granted.

”Football is difficult, to win is difficult,” said Emery in the pre-match press conference. ”I am happy with everything we are doing, but I know tomorrow is going to be difficult.

"If you are not respecting the opponents then you are closer to losing. We must show the same mentality.”

These thoughts were echoed by his captain.

"It fills me with pride as to where the club is now,” added McGinn. ”And it also fills me with pride as to where this club could go.

”This isn't something we want to come here, celebrate and have a fanfare, we want to be focussed on this match, we know how good Freiburg are.

"We know how difficult it is to get to a final, so we will treat them with the respect they deserve.”

Listening to McGinn and Emery, as well as watching the open training at Besiktas Stadium on the eve of the game, there is a laser-sharp focus and determination to succeed on Wednesday evening with the opportunity to make this one of the most memorable nights in the club’s history.

Wednesday's match is the first of three European club finals, with all exclusively live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

The focus will shift to the UEFA Conference League final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday, May 27 at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, live from 18:30 UK time on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and HBO Max. 

There will be expert analysis from a team including Glenn Hoddle, Joel Ward and Joleon Lescott.

The TNT Sports’ cameras then head to Budapest as Arsenal take on European champions, Paris Saint-Germain, on May 30 in a quest for their first Champions League title.

TNT Sports' coverage will kick off with a 'Champions League Final – Super Weekend' show presented by Reshmin Chowdhury live from 10:30 UK time with guests from across the sporting and entertainment world. 

Live coverage of the game will begin from 15:00, kick-off at 17:00, and Laura Woods will be joined by Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves and Martin Keown.

All three European Finals will be available for no extra cost to all HBO Max* subscribers on any Monthly or Saver Plan – starting from Basic with Ads (£4.99/month**) and above.

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