MY ACCOUNT
Villarreal head coach Unai Emery hit back at criticism from Bayern Munich chief executive Oliver Kahn about the way the Spanish side played after they knocked the Bundesliga leaders out of the Champions League quarter-finals.
Taking a 1-0 advantage into the second leg on Tuesday at the Allianz Arena, the Yellow Submarine defended resolutely and scored a late goal to secure a 1-1 draw on the night, going through to the semi-finals 2-1 on aggregate.
Robert Lewandowski had levelled the tie early in the second half via Thomas Muller’s assist, but Samuel Chukwueze put Villarreal through with his goal in the 88th minute.
Speaking after Bayern’s elimination, Kahn said: “There are few less pleasant teams to play against [than Villarreal].”
In response at a news conference following the game, Emery said: “Well, we do need to respect opinions, but they are totally unfair. The match is played in two games: 90 minutes [in Villarreal], where we were better than them, where we got a difference in the scoreboard, and today we played a match in which we haven’t lost.
“The talk is that they wanted to be more aggressive in the pressure, and in fact, Lewandowski committed two aggressive tackles and the referee didn’t send him off, which I understand because he shouldn’t, and then they claimed a second card for Juan Foyth. But it was a clean game, well played.”
The former Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal manager also addressed accusations of time-wasting against his team.
“Logically, we played for time, but also in Villarreal we played like this,” he added. “Like with the goalkeeper, if they do not want to come and pressure, we gain our time. It is not that we do not want to play, we want them to come and pressure us. Today they did it, that is why it cost us more. [In the first leg], they didn’t [pressure us].
“So what I want to say is that each team has tactics, but respect, I will never lose it. If someone disrespects [me], it is not that I will respect him, but I will omit him.
“[Kahn] said that they had bad luck and that we surprised them… well, one needs to be a man.”
Villarreal captain Dani Parejo also did not hold back when speaking about Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
“When the draw took place and Villarreal was their opponent, I believe that their coach… well, I do not know him, but I think he showed a little bit of disrespect, not to Villarreal, but to football,” Parejo told Movistar+.
“And our club in this case, when he said that he wanted to decide the tie in the first leg. I trust that this was a lack of respect to us.
“In the end, when you spit in the wind, sometimes it returns straight to you.”
