When Aston Villa tasted glory in Istanbul in May, it was described as their first European silverware for 44 years. Which was true in a sense, and certainly their first major continental trophy since the 1982 European Cup. But not in another: the 1982 Super Cup was not played until January 1983. Tony Barton’s side showed their capacity for upsetting the continental aristocracy was not confined to Bayern Munich by sweeping Barcelona aside 3-0 at Villa Park.
But, even though it came eight months after they beat Bayern, there was a continuity. Nine of the starters in the first leg had begun the European Cup final. Villa’s second Super Cup final, however, will come with distinct differences from the game that secured their participation in it.
Youri Tielemans scored the opener in the Europa League final rout of Freiburg. He is gone, Manchester United triggering his £35m release clause. Morgan Rogers scored the third goal and was named player of the tournament. He is sold, joining Chelsea for a record fee for a British player of £117m.
John McGinn lifted the trophy but, if Villa beat Paris Saint-Germain, may have to pick up another without playing. He is a doubt. Two of the substitutes used against Freiburg, Jadon Sancho and Douglas Luiz, were only loaned and are gone. Another, Amadou Onana, is injured. The left-back, Lucas Digne swapped Villa for PSG on Sunday. Johan Manzambi, who faced Villa for Freiburg, is now their player, though injury means he will not debut.
This is musical chairs, Unai Emery style. Villa’s financial juggling act continues. They could win two European honours in a year when they have been fined €22.5m, two-thirds of it suspended, by Uefa for breaching squad cost control rules. At least Rogers’ spectacular sale should solve their fiscal problems.
They do, though, have footballing issues. A potential midfield of McGinn, Manzambi and Onana could be struck out by injury. Villa’s new look at the heart of the pitch could be a physical one, with Joao Gomes arriving from Wolves and Joao Palhinha a confirmed target. Boubacar Kamara, out since January and yet praised by the Prince of Wales after the Europa League final win, is back in contention.
All of which illustrates that Villa have a tendency to start seasons in a state of flux. There is the annual issue of whether Emi Martinez will leave. There is the unresolved quest for a new left-back, potentially Matteo Ruggeri of Atletico Madrid. There could be a search for a new set-piece guru after Austin MacPhee’s departure.
Still more fundamental to the way they play is the question of what life after Rogers looks like and whether Villa will lose their potency without him. Alejandro Garnacho is the immediate arrival, if not a like-for-like replacement for the best signing of the Unai Emery years.
Whereas Rogers was plucked from Middlesbrough, Garnacho seems to belong in a different category of Emery buys: the players who, for whatever reason, lost their way at more established members of the elite. It has been a policy of targeting the talented, often with points to prove, even if Villa could not always afford to keep them.
PSG can testify. Luis Enrique’s side have been the eliminators of the English clubs on their route to back-to-back European Cups but Villa gave them a scare. Their last Champions League game – at least for another four weeks – was a 3-2 victory over PSG, even in an aggregate defeat. PSG were rocked by a comeback powered by McGinn and Tielemans and featuring an inspired, and borrowed, Marcus Rashford.
They may be spared a reunion with each but, amid the onslaught on a febrile night at Villa Park, they may have sensed an echo of their past. A remontada helped end Emery’s time in the French capital – when Barcelona beat his PSG 6-1.
Emery’s path to Paris was facilitated by Europa League wins; three in as many years with Sevilla. His reputation as the king of Europe – though it is not a tag the Basque accepts – stems mainly from the second competition though, in taking Villarreal to a Champions League semi-final and Villa to the last eight, he has punched above his weight in the most prestigious of all. But, while he often qualifies for it, he is yet to win the Super Cup.
Three finals have brought different defeats: 2-0 to Real Madrid in 2014, a remarkable 5-4 after extra time to Luis Enrique’s Barcelona the following year and then on penalties to Chelsea in 2021.
That Luis Enrique’s PSG were taken to spot kicks this time last year by Tottenham was a sign that, after the Club World Cup, they were not at full sharpness; Spurs were nevertheless 2-0 up after 84 minutes before PSG conjured a response.
A year on, their sizeable contingent involved at the business end of the World Cup has been bolstered by Digne. Perhaps neither side is fully ready for this. But PSG, like Emery’s sides, can be primed to take continental silverware at the end of the season, not the start.
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