Youri Tielemans has urged Aston Villa to quickly move on from Saturday’s Fulham defeat ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final.
- Ryan Sessegnon’s first-half goal ended Villa’s six-match unbeaten run at Craven Cottage
- Watkins, Abraham and Rogers all missed good chances. Leno was barely tested throughout
- Villa’s winless away run in the Premier League extends to five games
- The Belgian midfielder insisted the squad must refocus immediately on Forest
Tielemans honest: “We didn’t have much in us”
Youri Tielemans did not attempt to dress up a deeply disappointing afternoon in west London.
The Belgian midfielder’s post-match assessment was candid, measured, and entirely in keeping with the high standards Emery demands from every player within the squad.
Villa were second best from the first whistle, and the 28-year-old acknowledged it without hesitation.
“Obviously we lost the game, and I didn’t think we had much in us to win it,” Tielemans admitted.
“That’s more frustrating. We maybe weren’t in the game today; it happens sometimes. We tried to keep pushing and create something, but it just wouldn’t happen.”
Ryan Sessegnon’s first-half goal proved sufficient for Marco Silva’s side a result that ended Villa’s six-match unbeaten run and extended their winless away record in the Premier League to five games.
Chances missed. Leno barely tested
The most damaging statistic from Saturday’s defeat is the one that concerns Bernd Leno.
The Fulham goalkeeper, whose remarkable record of 145 consecutive Premier League starts was highlighted ahead of kick-off, was barely forced into a serious save throughout.
Ollie Watkins, Tammy Abraham, and Morgan Rogers all spurned good opportunities as Villa’s clinical edge deserted them entirely.
Emery acknowledged the problem directly.
“We lost a really good opportunity; the players did everything we were planning but we needed to be more clinical,” the Spanish manager stated. “We had chances with Watkins and Abraham but we couldn’t get in their box. Sometimes we are scoring, sometimes not, like today.“
The bigger picture: Forest now everything
Tielemans was equally clear about the appropriate response to Saturday’s disappointment. The focus must shift immediately and completely to Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg at the City Ground .
“We know Saturday wasn’t our day maybe, but we’ve got a few games left and we need to make the most of it,” the Belgian captain stated.
“We need to try and win those games to keep where we are: that’s the aim for this last part of the season.“
Villa travel to Forest on the back of nine consecutive Europa League victories, a run of form that provides genuine and immediate reassurance heading into the biggest European night of their season.
Emery’s message is to keep going
The Spanish manager’s response was characteristically measured and forward-looking.
“My message is the same: keep going, keep trying to get better each week,” Emery said. Saturday was not good enough. Thursday must be different.
