Ajax awaits a serious test in the eighth finals of the Conference League. For a place in the quarter-finals, Aston Villa, the surprising number four in the Premier League, must be settled in two matches. What can Ajax expect from the club that won the European Cup in 1982 and is longing for new European success more than forty years later? Football zone spoke about this with journalist Quentin Gesp, who follows Villa closely for, among other things 90min.

By Rian Rosendaal

Much respect for Ajax

Despite the struggles of this season, Ajax is still a big name in England, Gesp also knows. “The respect of Aston Villa fans towards Ajax is enormous. They are all aware of the status of the club and have the feeling that both clubs are somewhat similar in terms of heritage. Ajax is of course a bit bigger, but nevertheless they have retained the link with the past and this is much appreciated by Aston Villa supporters.”

Gesp emphasizes that Ajax is one of the favorites in Villa circles for the final victory in the Conference League. A big difference with expectations in the Netherlands. “Ajax is even in the top three contenders to win the Conference League, so there is a lot of excitement around this match. Firstly, because Amsterdam is a wonderful city and a great Away Day for the fans. And also because it is a big name in Europe that manifests itself a bit this season sleeping giant.”

“There could be a scenario in which Ajax plays two of its best games of this season against Aston Villa, because they really want to win a prize,” Gesp predicts an exciting diptych. “And there is no better way to do that than with a European redemption in the minds of the fans. And also because it has been proven in the early stages of the Conference League that the favorite is not automatically entitled to victory. Villa knows that all too well after the matches against Legia Warsaw and Zrinjski Mostar in the group stage.”

Emery the savior

How different the situation was just two years ago. Villa had become a real relegation candidate under Steven Gerrard. Since the arrival of Unai Emery in October 2022, everything has been different at Villa Park. “He changed everything within the club,” the Villa watcher analyzes Emery's first year and a half in Birmingham. “He brought a winning mentality and a no-excuses culture to the Villa ecosystem, where players work hard as a team and have the confidence that they can beat anyone. He restored the winning mentality and brought back the best in every player. He also defined clear tactical ideas and knew how to adapt them to the qualities of the players.”

“That was certainly not the case under Gerrard, who took away the captaincy from Tyrone Mings and put John McGinn, the current captain, on the bench,” Gesp judges harshly about the Liverpool legend, who less than a year after joining the Villans was fired due to poor results in the Premier League. “Emery bought a number of players who are very suitable for his football philosophy: Àlex Moreno, Pau Torres, Moussa Diaby, as well as staff members he knows and worked with before. From Monchi to Damian Vidagany (responsible for technical policy, ed.) and his entire tactical staff.”

Under Steven Gerrard, Aston Villa was still a relegation candidate.

Big ambitions

Emery set the bar high at Villa, which has not won a single trophy since winning the EFL Cup in 1996. Winning prizes must become the norm at the club founded in 1874. “Emery immediately made that clear and added that Villa should play in Europe. And he is already halfway through that project.” The Spanish manager wants to involve the supporters in everything, something that Gerrard never actually did. “Emery talks about the supporters and involves them in every success or loss and demands almost as much from them as from his players. He does this to create a perfect symbiotic relationship with them and ensure a healthy working environment, suitable for every victory .”

Watkins as a great driving force

According to Gesp, Emery owes a lot to Ollie Watkins, who has completely blossomed at the age of 28. The striker paid the equivalent of 34 million euros in 2020, a record amount at the time. “This is really his best season ever,” Gesp raves about the attacker who has already found the net 21 times in all competitions this season. “He is very smart, tactically intelligent, a hard worker and someone who carries out Emery's instructions perfectly. He knows exactly how to use his body and has improved his shooting accuracy enormously. Watkins also has a keen eye for the movements of his teammates and manages to open a defensive line thanks to his constant movements and his ability to read the game.”

Ollie Watkins is the great helmsman of the current Aston Villa.

“He really has one killer instinct when he is in front of goal, but apart from that he is just a fantastic and very versatile player. Because he is much more than just a striker, and his assist statistics prove that.” Watkins has enabled a teammate to score ten times in the Premier League. He has scored sixteen times so far, twice fewer than top scorer Erling Braut Haaland: “Physically he is also a top player. His work ethic is second to none and Emery regularly praises him for it,” said Gesp.

The club watcher sees a pattern emerging in Watkins' case. “Like Carlos Bacca and Kevin Gameiro at Sevilla, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappé at Paris Saint-Germain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal and Gerard Moreno at Villarreal, Unai Emery has the ability to get the best out of a striker. He stops In any case, a lot of time and work goes into that.” In that context, Gesp issues a warning to the Ajax defenders. “They need to pay a lot of attention to Watkins' positioning. He is constantly on the move and pulls defenders into the center to create space on the sides. It can then be very difficult to stop Watkins when he plays with the ball.” enters the sixteen at the foot.”

More than just Watkins

Villa is more than just Watkins, Gesp emphasizes. “Emiliano Martínez is again very important and can make an important save at any time. Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres are also doing fantastic. They form a great duo in the center back, but both were unlucky with injuries. They are two top defenders, but also great passers.” Torres in particular impresses claret and blue from Villa. “His arrival will be a great addition to this team boost datum. With his insight and great passing, he always knows how to find an opening for the opponent.”

Douglas Luiz (middle) has become almost indispensable for Aston Villa.

Gesp sees Brazilian Douglas Luiz excel in midfield every week. “He has also been mentioned by several top clubs (including Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, ed.) this season. Luiz is technically gifted and so incredibly skilled with the ball, everything seems to come easily to him. And McGinn is now linking his qualities to goals and is just a fantastic player, really taken to the next level by Emery. He is a versatile player, can play in different positions and able to switch when necessary.”

Winger Leon Bailey provides the danger on the right flank and, according to Gesp, this is also Emery's merit. “Because he has never performed consistently until this season, he is probably Aston Villa's new discovery. He can score at any time, make the difference and Bailey is simply a technically great player. Emery gets the most out of him and has a lot to offer has worked on his tactics so that he can make a significant contribution to the balance of the team. He is fast, thinks quickly and is technically at a top level. Emery still wants Bailey to become more consistent in away matches, but at Villa Park it is sometimes really a beast.”

Dreaming about new European success

Emery therefore gets the most out of his selection, giving Villa supporters the courage to dream about new glory days. The older generation of fans in particular will never forget May 26, 1982. On that day, Bayern Munich was defeated 1-0 in De Kuip in the final of the European Cup I. By far the greatest success in club history. “The hope is high that Aston Villa will win another European trophy this season. There are still a few great teams left in the Conference League and Ajax is one of them, despite the disappointing season. Since last summer, Villa fans have been already working on this prize, which was underestimated by many other fans but is so important to others.”

Aston Villa won the European Cup in 1982, beating favorites Bayern Munich.

“The desire for European success is great, but Villa must win another prize,” Gesp refers to the long-term prize drought in Birmingham. “It's been almost thirty years (EFL Cup in 1996, ed.) since the trophy cabinet was replenished, an eternity for such an important club in English football. Emery has been talking about winning trophies since his appointment and I think also that that is his ultimate goal here. He is of course a Europa League specialist (four final victories as a trainer, ed.). But I am sure that winning the Conference League will also give him enormous satisfaction.”

Champions League on the horizon

European football is in any case a big theme at number four Villa. “The Champions League is more than ever a realistic objective. With this weekend's result (2-3 win over Luton Town, ed.) it looks better than ever and even if Emery doesn't want to talk about it, the fans are dreaming been talking about it for a few months now. In any case, expectations are high,” Gesp concludes. However, Villa now only has Ajax, the opponent in the eighth finals of the Conference League on Thursday.

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