Villarreal coach Unai Emery spoke to 'L'Équipe' about his former club Paris Saint-Germain and the message he told president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi: "You will win the Champions League. You will win it sooner or later".
Unai Emery made some striking statements to 'L'Équipe', before Bayern Munich's game with Villarreal. The Basque coach confessed what he said to the PSG president before leaving Paris. "This year is a step backwards, but I told Nasser (Al-Khelaïfi): 'You will win the Champions League. Eventually, you will win it'. Someone has to break the ceiling. PSG are on the right track because there is a certain consistency in the results and they are still looking for progression," Emery said.
However, just before that, he surprised with the beginning of his answer, when he was questioned about Ancelotti, Tuchel and himself, three former coaches of the Parisian side who are alive in the current Champions League with their respective teams: "That means they are all very good coaches. If they didn't make it with PSG, it's because there's something else because PSG...".
"The budget is important to have the best players, but there are things you can overcome with hard work. You have to create something more as a team, create mentality and look for details in the preparation," analysed Unai Emery.
"One day, Guardiola told me that teams like Barça or Real Madrid, because they have already won the competition, react better to difficult situations. The key is to handle frustration. When Barça (in the comeback) scored four goals, then five and the referee made mistakes, we didn't know what to do. It was the same against Madrid," he added.
He also believes he is a better coach now than when he was at PSG: "I live a love story with the Europa League but I would like to live another one with the Champions League. It's a dream I'd like to work for and make it come true. I'm a better coach than when I was at PSG, especially in the way I approach the important moments".
After eliminating Juventus in the last 16, Unai Emery said: "It's a recognition of projects that have less fans and money than others but do a lot for football. Human or family projects that can make people happy. Football belongs to the people. Here we work with humility for a solid and stable project. I don't agree with a Super League that brings together the biggest teams. Football must decide".