On the eve of the fourth matchday of the Champions League, Unai Emery once again discussed the famous 2017 remontada and the role that the VAR could have played.
This Tuesday evening, Aston Villa hosts FC Barcelona in the fourth matchday of the Champions League league phase. It is a particularly poignant encounter for Unai Emery, the Basque manager of the Villans, who is facing a club against which he lived one of the most painful moments of his career.
In February 2017, Emery was in charge of Paris Saint-Germain. After a 4-0 home win in the first leg of the round of 16, the Parisians suffered a 6-1 defeat at the Camp Nou, an elimination that became legendary in European football under the name 'remontada'. This disastrous scenario left a lasting mark on the Parisian dressing room.
More than nine years later, the Spanish tactician has not forgotten that evening. Approached ahead of this clash against Barcelona, he revealed that video assistant referee (VAR) technology could have changed the course of events. In his view, some contentious decisions could have been reviewed, and the VAR might have prevented this implausible scenario. His remarks reignite the debate regarding refereeing in that era, long before the introduction of video assistance in the Champions League.
However, Emery was keen to highlight the performance of his former opponents. He acknowledged the strength of the Barcelona collective at the time, which was capable of overturning a near-hopeless situation. For him, that remontada remains a warning: at this level of competition, no advantage is ever decisive.
This match against Barcelona will therefore carry a special significance for the Basque coach. Aston Villa, solid in the Premier League, will try to put that painful memory behind them by securing a positive result against a European giant. It is an opportunity for Emery to turn the page definitively, even if the wound still appears fresh.
In February 2017, Emery was in charge of Paris Saint-Germain. After a 4-0 home win in the first leg of the round of 16, the Parisians suffered a 6-1 defeat at the Camp Nou, an elimination that became legendary in European football under the name 'remontada'. This disastrous scenario left a lasting mark on the Parisian dressing room.
More than nine years later, the Spanish tactician has not forgotten that evening. Approached ahead of this clash against Barcelona, he revealed that video assistant referee (VAR) technology could have changed the course of events. In his view, some contentious decisions could have been reviewed, and the VAR might have prevented this implausible scenario. His remarks reignite the debate regarding refereeing in that era, long before the introduction of video assistance in the Champions League.
However, Emery was keen to highlight the performance of his former opponents. He acknowledged the strength of the Barcelona collective at the time, which was capable of overturning a near-hopeless situation. For him, that remontada remains a warning: at this level of competition, no advantage is ever decisive.
This match against Barcelona will therefore carry a special significance for the Basque coach. Aston Villa, solid in the Premier League, will try to put that painful memory behind them by securing a positive result against a European giant. It is an opportunity for Emery to turn the page definitively, even if the wound still appears fresh.
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Source: Ouest-France