Vincenzo Italiano has paid Aston Villa the ultimate compliment insisting they belong in the Champions League.
- Villa won 4-0 on the night to complete a dominant 7-1 aggregate victory
- Watkins, Buendia, Rogers and Konsa all scored in a commanding second leg
- Italiano praised Villa’s clinical finishing and relentless pressing throughout
- An all-English Europa League semi-final awaits
Italiano’s verdict: honest, generous and telling
Following a night to forget in the West Midlands, Vincenzo Italiano refused to retreat into the usual sanctuary of tactical “ifs” and “buts.”
Despite seeing his side dismantled in a comprehensive 4-0 defeat at Villa Park on Thursday night in the Europa League quarter final resulting in a 7-1 aggregate exit the Italian coach stood front and centre, offering no excuses for the gulf in class displayed on the pitch.
“Aston Villa have an extra gear compared to us,” the 47-year-old told Sky Sport Italia.
“They probably belong in the Champions League more than the Europa League, and I believe they will win the trophy.” That endorsement from a manager who has just experienced Villa’s quality across two legs, carries the weight of someone speaking from painful first-hand experience.
The Bologna coach acknowledged his side’s tactical adjustments, inverting full-backs Joao Mario and Juan Miranda from their usual positions specifically to combat Villa’s wide threats.
Nevertheless, he was clear that tactics were ultimately irrelevant against a team of this clinical quality.
“It’s not the reason why we lost, it’s because Aston Villa are so incredibly clinical that they score with every chance.”
The clinical difference: Villa punish every error
Italiano’s repeated emphasis on Villa’s clinical finishing tells its own story. Federico Ravaglia parried a Morgan Rogers penalty, only for Emiliano Buendia to convert from the resulting throw-in.
The 30-year-old striker then added Villa’s second before Rogers got on the scoresheet himself. Ezri Konsa completed the rout with a late acrobatic volley to seal a dominant 4-0 evening.
“You cannot gift them anything and we did in both legs,” Italiano admitted.
That observation reflects a Villa side operating with the ruthless efficiency that defines genuine European contenders. Emery’s pressing system, specifically praised by the Bologna coach as “ferocious,” allowed the Italian side no time or space to build any momentum throughout the evening.
Bologna’s journey beyond expectations
Despite the heaviness of the aggregate defeat, Italiano was keen to contextualise his side’s achievement. Bologna’s only Europa League defeats this season came against Villa, a fact that underlines the exceptional quality Emery’s side have demonstrated throughout the competition.
“We reached the quarter-finals, our objective had been to get through the league phase, so I think our campaign has gone beyond expectations,” he said with genuine pride.
Villa’s path to glory is clearing
An all-English Europa League semi-final now awaits, Emery’s side face Nottingham Forest while Braga take on Freiburg in the other tie.
When the opposition manager tells you that you belong in a competition above the one you are currently winning, the message is impossible to ignore. Villa are coming.
