{"id":1447062,"date":"2026-05-07T22:18:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T21:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1447062"},"modified":"2026-05-08T08:40:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T07:40:50","slug":"post-match-analysis-aston-villa-vs-nottingham-forest-07-05-26","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/post-match-analysis-aston-villa-vs-nottingham-forest-07-05-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest analysis: Unai Emery the Europa League master"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Aston Villa booked their place in the Europa League final after a comfortable 4-1 victory over Nottingham Forest on aggregate.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Villans went into the second leg at Villa Park trailing their Premier League rivals 1-0 on aggregate. But they were always going to be confident with their home crowd behind them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ollie Watkins gave Villa a first-half lead with a finish from close range, before Unai Emery&#8217;s side stepped things up after the break. Emiliano Buendi scored a penalty before John McGinn bagged a brace to put gloss on the victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a tactical masterclass from Emery, as we have seen so often in the Europa League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-bold-lindelof-decision\" data-level=\"2\">Bold Lindelof decision<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-villa-s-central-dominance\" data-level=\"2\">Villa\u2019s central dominance<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-gibbs-white-effect\" data-level=\"2\">The Gibbs-White effect<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-game-state-ruined-forest\" data-level=\"2\">Game state ruined Forest<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bold-lindelof-decision\">Bold Lindelof decision<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Emery made the bold decision to deploy Victor Lindelof in midfield against Forest. The Swedish international, naturally a centre-back, was in place ahead of Douglas Luiz and Lamare Bogarde, perhaps making it a controversial decision.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In possession, Lindelof\u2019s positioning was fluid. He would often drop into defence to make it a back three, allowing Matty Cash and Lucas Digne plenty of freedom to push on into the final third.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lindelof was utilised very rarely during the buildup in Villa&#8217;s half. The former Manchester United defender almost acted as a decoy, creating space for others to receive the ball.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221345\/team_-average-positions-2-4-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1447063\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221345\/team_-average-positions-2-4-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221345\/team_-average-positions-2-4-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221345\/team_-average-positions-2-4-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221345\/team_-average-positions-2-4-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221345\/team_-average-positions-2-4-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221345\/team_-average-positions-2-4-267x267.png 267w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221345\/team_-average-positions-2-4-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221345\/team_-average-positions-2-4-60x60.png 60w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221345\/team_-average-positions-2-4-74x74.png 74w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221345\/team_-average-positions-2-4.png 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Out of possession, Lindelof was tasked with screening the back four. This allowed Villa to protect balls into the feet of Chris Wood, while also giving them more of an advantage in aerial duels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a decision that could have backfired, but there&#8217;s no doubt it was a stroke of genius from Emery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rotations in midfield allowed for progression from deep. Villa&#8217;s defenders could find Tielemans in more space, or bypass the midfield and get the ball into the forward players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-villa-s-central-dominance\">Villa\u2019s central dominance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, Lindelof playing in midfield allowed Villa to progress through the middle more often. As mentioned, he was used as a decoy midfielder, or he dropped into the defensive line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This opened up passing lines to players in more advanced positions. Although out wide on paper, Buendia and McGinn would drift into central areas, looking to get onto the ball between the lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Aston Villa have won each of their last 10 home games in European competition:<br><br>\u25c9 4-2 vs. Celtic<br>\u25c9 3-0 vs. Club Brugge<br>\u25c9 3-2 vs. PSG<br>\u25c9 1-0 vs. Bologna<br>\u25c9 2-0 vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv<br>\u25c9 2-0 vs. Young Boys<br>\u25c9 3-2 vs. RB Salzburg<br>\u25c9 2-0 vs. Lille<br>\u25c9 4-0 vs. Bologna<br>\u25c9 4-0 vs.\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/x9iczz57Iu\">https:\/\/t.co\/x9iczz57Iu<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Squawka (@Squawka) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Squawka\/status\/2052494292325744941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 7, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This created central overloads, which Forest struggled to deal with. Digne and Cash provided the width, giving Buendia and McGinn more freedom to play with fluidity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At half-time, Vitor Pereira attempted to adapt and provide more bodies in midfield. Ryan Yates arrived off the bench, but they still struggled to limit Villa\u2019s central dominance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-gibbs-white-effect\">The Gibbs-White effect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After picking up a freak injury against Chelsea last time out, Morgan Gibbs-White was only fit enough for the bench. It was clear that Forest lacked creativity throughout, which is no surprise with Gibbs-White watching from the sidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The England international has provided 23 goals and assists combined in all competitions this season. If Pereira felt he was fit enough, there\u2019s no doubt he would have been playing from the start.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the first half, James McAtee was coming into central areas, but he was substituted at the break. This gave Forest very little presence between the lines, with Yates coming on and playing in a deeper role.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lack of creativity with Gibbs-White out undoubtedly hampered Forest from the start. When you lose a player of his calibre, you&#8217;re always going to be up against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately for Forest, once Villa took the lead on the night, the tie was only heading in one direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-game-state-ruined-forest\">Game state ruined Forest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Forest were clearly set up to try and frustrate Villa and hit them in transition. Although this is a tactic that may have worked, the game state soon shifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Villa opened the scoring, Forest was still able to sit deeper and absorb the pressure. But once Emery&#8217;s side took the lead on aggregate, it made things incredibly difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forest were forced to play more on the front foot and commit bodies forward, but this opened up more gaps for Villa&#8217;s attacking players. This is where the likes of McGinn and Buendia flourished, getting into dangerous positions in space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221644\/shot_map-team-3-stats-819x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1447064\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221644\/shot_map-team-3-stats-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221644\/shot_map-team-3-stats-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221644\/shot_map-team-3-stats-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221644\/shot_map-team-3-stats-1229x1536.png 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221644\/shot_map-team-3-stats-214x267.png 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221644\/shot_map-team-3-stats-160x200.png 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221644\/shot_map-team-3-stats-48x60.png 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221644\/shot_map-team-3-stats-120x150.png 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221644\/shot_map-team-3-stats-59x74.png 59w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/07221644\/shot_map-team-3-stats.png 1622w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Villa never took their foot off the gas even after going in front, knowing that they&#8217;d continue to have joy in the final third. There was a lack of a plan B for Pereira heading into the game, and he was simply outclassed by Emery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s no shame in that, however, with the Spanish manager one of the best there is in this competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emery is now going for his fifth Europa League title, an incredible achievement for the Villa boss. <\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aston Villa booked their place in the Europa League final after a comfortable 4-1 victory over Nottingham Forest on aggregate. The Villans went into the second leg at Villa Park trailing their Premier League rivals 1-0 on aggregate. But they were always going to be confident with their home crowd behind them. Ollie Watkins gave&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3582,"featured_media":1447065,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Aston Villa secured their place in the Europa League final after a comfortable 4-1 victory over Nottingham Forest on aggregate.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1447062","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest analysis: Unai Emery the Europa League master | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Aston Villa secured their place in the Europa League final after a comfortable 4-1 victory 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John McGinn of Aston Villa celebrates with Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa during the Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest UEFA Europa League semi final match 2nd leg match at Villa Park, Birmingham. 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