Spanish coach Unai Emery refused to talk about the secret of his success in winning the European League competition for the fourth time in his history, and said that he did not think of revenge or revenge for his exclusion from Arsenal earlier.
Emery led Villarreal to victory over Manchester United on Wednesday, winning the European League title for the current season, which is the first major title in the history of the Spanish club.
Emery raised his tally in the competition to 4 titles after winning a hat-trick with Seville, Spain, between 2014 and 2016.
🔝 Unai Emery = FOUR-time Europa League winner!
2⃣0⃣1⃣4⃣🏆
2⃣0⃣1⃣5⃣🏆
2⃣0⃣1⃣6⃣🏆
2⃣0⃣2⃣1⃣🏆 # UELfinal https://t.co/cALQQsmU3H pic.twitter.com/qS8WW3aCBZ
- UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 26, 2021
In response to a question about the secret of this success, Emery said at a press conference yesterday, "There is no secret, it is only about work, I analyzed 17 matches for Manchester United last week."
"The players showed a good mentality throughout the tournament and in the final match, we were able to compete against a good opponent, I try to offer the players everything that allows them to work better and know the opponent, I have to always be ready to face all circumstances," he added.
The Spanish coach explained that his players sometimes met at 6 am to prepare for some matches, and said, "All this makes this trip worth the effort. Winning is a different step, an important step forward."
🏆🟡
Featured shots from the European League Final
Is De Gea the reason United lost?
🙄 # European League # Villarreal_Manchester United #UELfinal #UEL pic.twitter.com/jgcE3wffLm
- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) May 27, 2021
The Spanish team won 11-10 in a thrilling penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in the original and extra time, and goalkeeper Geronimo Rolli took the 11th kick after all his team-mates scored their kicks, before tackling his counterpart David De Gea's kick.
Emery took over as Villarreal in July 2020 after 9 months of being sacked from Arsenal for poor results, and the Spanish coach removed his former team from the semi-finals before beating another English team, but he does not see that what has been achieved is personal.
"I assure that in sports there is no revenge, I try to enjoy every moment during the victory and defeat, I tried to create a new atmosphere even when I was in England with Arsenal, I learned a lot and met many people, different cultures and other football," he said.