EUROPA League
ARSENAL’S EUROPA LEAGUE EXIT EMBARRASSING, SAYS FORMER GUNNER KEOWN
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown branded Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final exit against Spanish club Villarreal on Thursday (May 6) as embarrassing, saying the players did not turn up.
Keown, who won three Premier League titles with Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, pointed the finger at manager Mikel Arteta, saying he was out-thought by Unai Emery, the man he replaced in the Arsenal hot seat in 2019.
With Arsenal languishing in ninth spot in the Premier League, they now face the prospect of not being involved in European competition for the first time in 25 years.
“It’s a huge job at this football club. His (Mikel Arteta’s) inexperience has perhaps cost him,” Keown told BT Sport after the 0-0 draw at the empty Emirates Stadium, which meant Arsenal went out 2-1 on aggregate.
“He’s still manager, but it felt this was the rescue package and his players didn’t turn up. He was outsmarted by the previous manager (Unai Emery) which is a bit of an embarrassment.
“Arsenal looked lost. We couldn’t get out and they made us nervy. We haven’t really laid a glove on them and we haven’t gone down fighting.”
Arsenal’s most realistic hope of qualifying for Europe next season was by winning the Europa League, which is rewarded with a place in the Champions League.
With that route now shut down by Villarreal, Arsenal face a depressing final four games of the season.
“You have to be a quick learner as a manager,” Keown added of Arteta. “I’m not saying he isn’t going to be manager of the club, that’s a decision that will be made through the summer.
“It will have to be an incredible start to next season if he is to stay in the job. He’s under huge pressure now. Big decisions to be made at the football club.”
Arteta’s tactics and team selections against Villarreal were questioned, notably why he took off Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with his side needing to score. He was also quizzed on why Alexandre Lacazette came off the bench so late.
“He was only available to play 10 minutes – 15 minutes maximum. He wanted to take that risk and we believed it was worth taking it,” Arteta said.
Asked whether his job was on the line he replied: “I feel the pressure all the time because I want to do as good as I can for the team. You will see it. It’s not about talking it’s about showing it on that pitch.”
-Reuters
Four-times Europa League winner Unai Emery booked an astonishing sixth final in the competition as a manager on Thursday when his Aston Villa team swept aside Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their all-English semi-final.
The 54-year-old Spaniard has won three times with Sevilla (2014, 2015, 2016) and once with Villarreal (2021) – either side of a defeat with Arsenal (2019) – deservedly earning him the epithet “Mr Europa League” from some fans and media.
Now he goes to the 2026 final seeking a fifth title, this time with Aston Villa against Bundesliga side Freiburg.
“His track record speaks for itself,” said Villa striker Ollie Watkins, heaping praise on his boss as the man to guarantee Europa League success. “We need to go and win it now.”
Emery was delighted with how his team overturned a 1-0 deficit to Forest in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final to score four times at home and win 4-1 on aggregate.
“Now we have to look to the final,” he said, hoping that Villa will do “something fantastic” for their fans.
Though thrilled at Thursday’s win, Emery left the pitch quickly after the final whistle, pumping his fist a few times at the crowd before letting his players enjoy the moment with fans
He and his Villa side will be favourites at the Europa League final in Istanbul on May 20, but Emery was taking nothing for granted. “Of course German teams are so difficult, their coaches, their players are so good,” he added of the upcoming opponents.
-Reuters
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List of teams which have qualified for the next round of the Europa League after the league phase concluded on Thursday, ranked by table position:
Directly to the round of 16:
1. Olympique Lyonnais (France)
2. Aston Villa (England)
3. Midtjylland (Denmark)
4. Real Betis (Spain)
5. Porto (Portugal)
6. Braga (Portugal)
7. Freiburg (Germany)
8. AS Roma (Italy)
Knockout phase play-off places (seeded)
9. Genk (Belgium)
10. Bologna (Italy)
11. VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
12. Ferencvaros (Hungary)
13. Nottingham Forest (England)
14. Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)
15. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
16. Celta Vigo (Spain)
Knockout phase play-off places (unseeded)
17. PAOK (Greece)
18. Lille (France)
19. Fenerbahce (Turkey)
20. Panathinaikos (Greece)
21. Celtic (Scotland)
22. Ludogorets (Bulgaria)
23. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
24. SK Brann (Norway)
-Reuters
UEFA Europa League – Aston Villa v RB Salzburg – Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain – January 29, 2026 Aston
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Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv will not accept any away fan tickets for their Europa League match at Aston Villa next month, even if local authorities reverse the decision to ban their supporters, they said on Monday.
The ban followed safety concerns raised by British Police, who cited potential protests outside Villa Park, following demonstrations at Israel’s recent World Cup qualifiers in Oslo and Udine.
“From hard lessons learned we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context,” Maccabi said in a statement.
“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”
Aston Villa announced the decision last week, saying they were following instructions from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), who are responsible for issuing safety certificates for games at Villa Park.
West Midlands Police described the match as high risk, past incidents, including violent confrontations and hate crime offences involving Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters ahead of a November 2024 game in Amsterdam.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the announcement as “shameful”.
Villa are third in the Europa League standings while Maccabi Tel Aviv are 30th after two rounds.
-Reuters
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