Unai Emery leaps to defence of Aston Villa’s set-pieces after Lille boss Paulo Fonseca urges referee to ‘pay attention’ to dark arts in Europa Conference League second leg
- Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side are 2-1 up against Lille ahead of the second leg
- Lille boss Paulo Fonseca has accused opposition of using dark arts at set pieces
- IAN LADYMAN and CHRIS SUTTON have their say on the Premier League’s Player of the Year – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Unai Emery has defended Aston Villa’s tactics amid accusations of dark arts from Lille boss Paulo Fonseca.
Ahead of Thursday night’s Europa Conference League quarter-final in France, Fonseca urged Slovak referee Ivan Kruzliak to look closely at Villa’s set piece routines.
In last week’s first leg, which Emery’s men won 2-1, Lille were furious when markers were blocked by Villa players, allowing Ollie Watkins a free header for the opener.
‘What I am seeing is not blocks — they are fouls,’ said Fonseca. ‘I love the fair game and what I want is just a fair game. If it happens I hope the referee will pay attention to it.
‘I know it’s difficult for referees to see everything but now we have VAR. I am trying to understand what is allowed and what is not allowed.’
Paulo Fonseca (left) has accused Unai Emery’s side of using dark arts at set pieces
Watkins scored with a free header and Lille were furious at blocking tactics
Watkins and Co are out to finish the job in the second leg against the French side
Yet Emery hit back strongly, confirming he has no plans to change his approach to free-kicks and corners at the Stade Mauroy. Mail Sport understands Villa have taken a dim view of what they be-lieve to be Fonseca’s attempts to influence the officials ahead of the game.
As well as Watkins’ goal, John McGinn’s strike for the second also began with a clever set piece sequence and Emery highlighted that all three goals in the first leg developed from dead-ball situations.
He said: ‘Set pieces are very important and I have been very successful with them throughout my career. They are crucial, 100 per cent.
‘At Aston Villa I am working with a specialist in Austin MacPhee, sharing our experiences.
‘In both the Premier League and Europe, it’s very important – all three goals in the first leg came from them.
Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Konsa, D Carlos, Torres, Dignevp; Bailey, McGinn, D Luiz, Rog-ers; Tielemans; Watkins.
