McGinn admits Aston Villa lost to 'better team' and vows to learn from mistakes

Aston Villa captain John McGinn admits the better team won after the Premier League side were dumped out of the Europa Conference League semi-finals by Olympiacos.

The Villans trailed 4-2 on aggregate heading into the return leg in Greece and did not really threaten their opponents during the match.

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Despite dominating the ball, Olympiacos' strategy of staying deep and playing on the counter-attack worked well and they added two more goals to extend the lead to 6-2.

It was the goal of Ayoub El Kaabi who scored a hat-trick at Villa Park last week and his finish was the big difference in this game.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, McGinn said: “We went into this tournament as favorites and we carry that throughout the tournament.

“I think it was a great learning opportunity for us.

“This has been a big learning curve for us”

John McGinn shares his thoughts after the game @Becky_Ives_ 💭#UECL | 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Z73AZxnAaR

– Football on TNT Sports (@footballantnt) May 9, 2024

“This trip didn't go well, we reached the semi-finals and we were a little tired.

“However, those of us who were there in both legs were defeated by a better team and the scores reflect that.

“For us to go to many European competitions next season we need to learn how to manage times better.

“Yes, we wanted to do better this year and reach the finals in Europe, but we will do everything we can to get back to this position and reach the finals.”

Emery's assessment

Head coach Unai Emery says his players were not fit enough and echoing his captain's words, he admits this is a big learning experience for Villa.

He is already focused on qualifying for the Champions League but stopped to give credit to Olympiacos.

“We lost today, but we are on track”

An optimistic Unai Emery expresses his delight at Aston Villa's progress this season ✨#UECL | 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Cy6W3DWqhS

– Football on TNT Sports (@footballantnt) May 9, 2024

The 52-year-old added: “Look [Olympiasos] they deserve to enter the finals.

“We lost in the first 90 minutes at home and we had no competition. This first half started well, they scored a goal but we were in control of the game but we were not clinical.

“This is our experience at Aston Villa after a long time [of not being in Europe] and again we will compete in Europe next year.

“Yes, we are a little disappointed, we are frustrated, but we have to move on quickly. We started the first leg maybe we were favorites but after the first leg we were not.

“We have to try to finish the season so it can be very good [if they qualify for the Champions League].”