🚨 John McGinn on Aston Villa’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City:
“Before the game, the manager told us something very simple. He said, ‘If you want to beat Manchester City, first you have to prove you can run with them.’
And that was basically our preparation throughout the week.
We weren’t spending the whole week talking about Haaland, or how much their players cost, or how good they are on the ball. We already knew all of that.
The manager wanted us to match them physically. Every run, every sprint, every second ball. If one of their players covered ten metres, we had to be prepared to cover eleven.
I remember one training session where we were absolutely exhausted. We’d just finished an exercise, and a few of the lads thought we were done.
The manager called us back.
Someone said, ‘Boss, we’ve already done that one.’
He said, ‘Yes, but Manchester City won’t stop running because you’re tired.’
So we went again.
He kept telling us, ‘Don’t give them the advantage before the ball has even been kicked. If they run, you run. If they press, you press. If they fight for a ball, you fight harder.’
And he was right.
You can have the best tactical plan in the world, but if you’re always arriving two seconds later than your opponent, what’s the point?
We knew there would be difficult moments. You don’t play Manchester City and expect to control everything for 90 minutes.
But we felt that if we could stay with them, compete for everything and make the game uncomfortable, we’d have a chance.
Then Nicolas Jackson decided to make all that running worthwhile.
His first goal was brilliant. The way he attacked the space, the confidence in the finish. That’s exactly what you need against a team like City because you might not get many opportunities.
Then they equalised, and that’s when you start asking questions of yourselves.
You’ve worked all week for this. You’ve run yourselves into the ground. Now they’ve scored, and you have to find another way.
I remember looking around at the lads, and nobody seemed interested in settling for a draw.
Then Nicolas got the ball outside the box.
I was actually expecting him to take another touch.
He didn’t.
He hit it low, and the next thing I knew, we were celebrating.
I went over to him and said, ‘Nico, do you know how much running we’ve done for you today?’
He laughed.
I said, ‘I’m serious. Some of us can barely feel our legs.’
He told me, ‘That’s why I scored two. One wasn’t enough.’
And I loved that.
Because that’s what a team is supposed to be.
You’ve got players chasing, tackling, covering for each other, doing the things that don’t always appear in the highlights. And then you’ve got somebody like Nicolas who makes all that work count.
We didn’t beat Manchester City because we had eleven players who were technically better than theirs.
We beat them because we were prepared to work for each other, and when the moments came, Nicolas was ruthless.
After the match, the manager was pleased, but he still reminded us about the running.
I told him, ‘Boss, I think we’ve run enough for one week.’
He smiled and said, ‘Good. We’ll start again on Monday.’
That’s Unai Emery for you.
But if Nicolas keeps scoring twice every time we run like that, I don’t think anybody will complain.”
🚨Unai Emery on Nicolas Jackson’s impact against Manchester City:
🗣️ Unai Emery: “Before we signed Nicolas, I had a conversation with him that I think he needed to hear.
“I told him, ‘Nicolas, I know what you can do. But I also know what people are saying about you. Chelsea decided to move on, Bayern Munich did not make the move permanent, and now some people are asking whether you can be trusted at the highest level.’
“He looked at me and said, ‘Mister, I know what I can do. I just need somebody who believes in me.’
“I remember that answer because he did not start talking about what Chelsea did wrong or why Bayern rejected him. He spoke about what he wanted to prove next. For me, that was important.
“I asked him, ‘And what exactly do you want to prove?’
“He said, ‘That I can be the striker people thought I was going to become.’
“I told him, ‘Good. But here, you will not play because of your name or because people feel sorry for you. You will play because you help Aston Villa win.’
“Today against Manchester City, he started, and I wanted him to understand something. You cannot hide against a team like City. You must run, you must fight, you must attack the spaces, and when the opportunity comes, you must be brave enough to take responsibility.
“And Nicolas was giving us that. He was making their defenders uncomfortable, competing physically, and forcing City to think about him even when they wanted to push forward. This is what we need from our striker. Not only goals, but somebody who makes the entire team believe we can hurt the opponent.
“After the match, I spoke to him. I said, ‘Nicolas, do you understand why I brought you here?’
“He said, ‘Because you believe in me, Mister.’
“I told him, ‘No. Because I believe you can become the player you keep telling me you are.’
“He smiled and said, ‘Then keep playing me.’
“[Laughs] You see? He is already negotiating!
“But I like that confidence. I do not want a striker who arrives here carrying the disappointment of what happened at Chelsea or Bayern. Those chapters are finished. We cannot change them. What we can change is what happens next.
“People rejected Nicolas Jackson, and perhaps they had their reasons. But football is not finished with a player simply because two clubs decide he is not the right answer. Sometimes, another club sees the same player and recognizes a different possibility.
I did not bring Nicolas to Aston Villa to remind everybody of his past. I brought him here because I believe his best football can still be ahead of him. And if he keeps playing with this hunger, those who gave up on him may soon have to explain why.””