Unai Emery wants to help “write a new history” for Aston Villa as they prepare for their first European campaign in 13 years.
Villa take on Hibernian in the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifying play-off at Easter Road on Wednesday. Emery is a four-time Europa League winner as a manager and said pictures of Villa’s 1982 European Cup win on the walls of their Bodymoor Heath training ground serve as further inspiration.
The 51-year-old Spaniard said: “Everyday when I go to the training ground there is the ’82 European Cup picture. It’s good to have that memory. “This is the history for Aston Villa and it’s amazing.
Of course we want to write a new history now, doing it our way and hopefully we can do something important here. “Always when I go in my office I am passing this picture and I am always watching the trophy.” Emery is a serial winner in Europe, securing the Europa League with Sevilla three years running – 2014, 2015 and 2016 – and winning it again with Villarreal in 2021.