- John McGinn has encouraged his teammates to make sure they don’t become “the nearly men” when they head to Istanbul on May 20th
- He spoke after Aston Villa’s 4-0 hammering of Nottingham Forest on Thursday night, where they booked their ticket to the Europa League final
- McGinn scored two of the goals, and led from the front in every way
Aston Villa edge closer to history after their 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the Europa League semi-final. The captain, John McGinn, played an integral role in the victory, and after the game, he reflected on his personal transformation and Villa’s return to the elite.
The atmosphere couldn’t have been any better. From the first minute, the Villa Park faithful roared their team into every tackle, press, and attack. You could see the players feeding off their energy and showing the fight that they desperately needed to overturn the one-goal deficit from the first leg.
Fantastic skill by Emi Buendia led to the first goal, before a penalty in the second half saw the Argentinian send the Villans into the lead.
What was expected to be a nervy finish was put at rest by McGinn. Two superbly taken goals in three minutes gave Villa a comfortable cushion, which sent them well on their way to their first European final in 44 years.
In a post-match interview with TNT Sports, McGinn reflected on his journey with the club and the motivation to bring success in the form of a trophy to Villa Park.
Grown with the club
The 31-year-old is Villa’s current longest-serving player. He joined in the Championship in 2018 and has been the heartbeat of the team ever since. McGinn credits his longevity and progression as a footballer to the managers he’s had over the years.
“He’s (Emery) been amazing. So have all the managers I’ve worked under. Steve Bruce made me believe I could compete in England, Dean Smith made me feel like I could compete in the Premier League, Steven Gerrard made me a leader, and Unai Emery has made me a much better footballer.
“I just feel the way this club’s grown, I feel like I’ve managed to grow step-by-step alongside it. There’s moments where I’m not at my best, but here at Villa Park is where I feel comfortable, and I’m just loving it at the minute.”
Connection with the supporters
There is a deep-rooted bond between the Villa supporters and the Scot. Having experienced the anxiety of the play-offs and the grit of relegation battles together, McGinn knows that the current atmosphere at B6 is a reward for years of shared patience to get where they are now.
There’s one more game to go, and he wants to make sure they step over the line.
“We’ve been through a lot together, we’ve had low moments here, definitely. It’s a demanding club to play for, but when it’s like this, Villa Park is electric. Stan will tell you there’s no better place to play your football every second week, or if we’re fortunate enough to get European football and kick on.
“What we’ve done over the last few years has been exceptional, and that’s what I said to the lads before the game, we need to do ourselves justice. The margins in football are so slim, if we lose tonight we’re the nearly men, and when we go to Istanbul in ten days we need to make sure we’re not the nearly men.”
On his two goals
The captain’s clinical edge helped the team overturn the one-goal deficit sustained in the first leg. Whilst he was relentless in his work rate, it was his composed finishing that was the key., which he attributes to learning from previous misses.
“My uncle, he always says keep the high balls low, so my uncle Gerry will be proud of his punch tonight. I used to lash at things, but you learn from your mistakes.
“The first one, in the league game, I whipped one, and Sels saved it, and I attempted it for the first one, so the second one I thought Ortega would try and read me a little bit, so I decided to change angles. I was just over the moon, I couldn’t believe it.”
Weight of expectation
With a ticket to Istanbul secured, the focus shifts to the history books. For McGinn, the pressure of wearing the armband isn’t a burden to carry, but a motivation to finally put the club back on the pedestal occupied by the greats of the past.
After the rapid rise to the top of the Premier League, there is a new expectation of silverware. The Scot explained that Villa must now embrace that pressure.
“I felt it this morning, but now it’s about embracing it and trying to become legends. You see the guys from 1982, you see the cup winners from the 90s, it’s a historic club, it’s been a long time without success.
“We’ve been through some massive lows, relegation, building back up, but such a proud football club, and they deserve success, and hopefully we can be the group that does it.”
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As Villa prepare for the historic game in Istanbul on Wednesday 20th May, McGinn is a reminder of the bridge between the club’s gritty past and its glittering future.
If he and his teammates can maintain this momentum and performance, they won’t be remembered as “the nearly men” but rightfully take their place alongside the icons of 1982.
