When Aston Villa coach Unai Emery returns to Parc des Princes for the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, it may stir up some difficult memories for him.
In contrast, Villa’s on-loan forward Marcus Rashford will doubtless recall one of his happiest soccer experiences.
For Villa defender Lucas Digne and attacking midfielder Marco Asensio, the trip could be a case of mixed feelings.
The night it all went wrong
Emery was PSG’s coach for one of the biggest humiliations in Champions League history.
That was eight years ago, when PSG faced Barcelona in the Round of 16 and became the first team in Champions League history to throw away a 4-0 lead from the first leg, losing 6-1 in the return.
PSG then lost the Ligue 1 title to Kylian Mbappé's Monaco.
A few months later, PSG spent 422 million euros (then $456 million) during the offseason to buy Neymar from Barcelona and Mbappé in a stunning double swoop.
But even they could not save Emery.
He left at the end of the following season after two difficult years during which PSG went out twice in the last 16 of the Champions League, but he also made his mark as a coach willing to stand up to player power.
“It was a difficult time,” Emery said. “For the team to adapt to me and for me to adapt to the team.”
Villa seems to have adapted very well to his methods. The Birmingham-based club is on a seven-game winning run heading into its first quarterfinal in the competition since 1983.
Emery, who has won the Europa League a record four times as a coach, guided unheralded Villarreal to the Champions League semifinals in 2022.
Rashford punishes PSG
The season after Emery’s departure, PSG experienced another Champions League blow.
On that occasion, it was Rashford who dealt it.
He scored a penalty deep into stoppage-time as an injury-hit Manchester United knocked out PSG in the last 16 on away goals, winning 3-1 after losing the first leg 2-0.
The defeat infuriated Thomas Tuchel, who was hired after Emery left. Tuchel said he couldn’t understand why some of his players arrived late for the pre-match preparations.
Digne shone briefly for PSG
PSG’s Qatari owners QSI were preparing for a third season at the helm of the club with new coach Laurent Blanc, and he signed Digne from French rival Lille for 15 million euros (then $16.2 million).
It was a big fee for an unproven 20-year-old defender, but the quick and skillful Digne was impressive at times with his performances at left back.
However, he was unable to hold down a regular place and, after being loaned to Roma, he joined Barcelona in 2016.
His transition to the Premier League, first to Everton and then Villa four years ago, saw him become a consistent and respected Premier League defender.
The 31-year-old Digne recently reached 50 caps for France.
Asensio proves Emery right
Emery sensed an opportunity during the winter transfer window and got Asensio on loan from PSG until the end of the season.
The 29-year-old Spaniard was not getting many opportunities in PSG coach Luis Enrique’s revamped attack.
But he immediately made his mark at Villa, enhancing his reputation as a scoring super-sub.
Heading into Wednesday’s game in Paris, Asensio had scored eight goals in 11 games, including three in the Round of 16 against Club Brugge.
His scoring prowess, which was somewhat stifled at PSG, has re-emerged at Villa. But it will not be a surprise to those who watched Asensio earlier in his career with Real Madrid.
As a strong-running attacking midfielder with a superb first touch and a penchant for long-distance shooting, he netted 61 goals in 286 games and won the Champions League three times, scoring in the 2017 final against Juventus.
Source: AP
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