\n<\/p>\n
Villa’s decision to go for Emery four years ago was a sign of their ambition to make a mark on the European stage. <\/p>\n
While they are still well placed in fourth position in the English top flight, as they aim to secure a Champions League berth next term, success in the Europa League would also deliver the same outcome. <\/p>\n
However, on Thursday it was just about recapturing their rhythm and some confidence after a winless run of four games domestically that included defeats to Newcastle<\/a>, Chelsea<\/a> and bottom club Wolves<\/a>. <\/p>\n Speaking to TNT Sports, returning captain John McGinn suggested that the result had provided Villa with a “building block” and the opportunity to “reset” after a difficult few weeks. <\/p>\n “We needed a reset. The past month has not been great,” he said. <\/p>\n “We can’t dwell on it. We can learn from it but what we need to do is build and this is a building block. We know we can do a lot better but it is a good result.<\/p>\n “We showed signs of getting back to our best but there’s still a long way to go. Sunday is a massive game in the league as well [at third-placed Manchester United<\/a>] so it is a tough run of fixtures, but that was a good start. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, Emery said he used the struggles of their Premier League rivals in the Champions League as a motivational tool before kick-off.<\/p>\n He said: “We respect this competition because we know the difficulties of each match away from home in Europe. <\/p>\n “We know how it is for the English teams, like this week in the Champions League, how they were struggling.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n