Unai Emery expressed his frustration at Aston Villa’s lacklustre performance on set pieces during their narrow 1-0 defeat to Monaco at the Stade Louis-II on Tuesday night.

Villa failed to impress for much of the match, unable to recover after Wilfried Singo’s eighth-minute header proved decisive. The goal came after Tyrone Mings conceded possession cheaply, leading to Monaco’s first corner. Thilo Kehrer’s initial header was saved by Emiliano Martínez, but Singo capitalised on the rebound to secure the lead.

Villa’s struggles extended to offensive set pieces, as they failed to create a single chance from seven corners. Lucas Digne’s 25-yard free-kick was notably tame, highlighting a surprising lack of efficiency from a team often lauded for their proficiency in dead-ball situations under the guidance of set-piece specialist Austin MacPhee.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Emery was visibly frustrated: “What is the reason? I could spend two days explaining it, but in one minute, it’s difficult. From my perspective, there are two main issues. First, we conceded a goal from a set piece, and we were horrible in that aspect. Second, we had seven corners and didn’t come close to scoring from any of them.”

Emery did not hold back in his assessment of his players: “We are demanding more from them, but some are not following the plan we have in place. My current objective is to build the team as strong as possible, with the mentality we are progressively developing.”

Champions League Top Eight Hopes Fade

The defeat dealt a significant blow to Villa’s hopes of finishing in the top eight of the Champions League league phase, which would have secured automatic progression to the last 16. Emery’s side needed at least four points from their final two matches to avoid the additional play-off fixtures. Although qualification remains mathematically possible with a win against Celtic next Wednesday, Villa now have to rely on results elsewhere.

Emery lamented the missed opportunity: “When we play games like this, it’s vital to take three points. I believe we lost our chance to break into the top eight tonight. This was the key match.”

The Spaniard also criticised his team’s structure during the latter stages of the game: “In the last 20 or 25 minutes, when we switched to two strikers, we lost our positional discipline. That’s one aspect of my analysis. Beyond that, it’s about instilling the mentality we need. If we want to compete at this level, we must convert the chances we create.”

Aston Villa now face a crucial test against Celtic, needing a strong performance to keep their Champions League aspirations alive, but they will also depend on favourable results from other matches. For Emery, the immediate priority remains addressing his team’s vulnerabilities and ensuring they show the mental toughness required to compete at the highest level.