Unai Emery has ‘trust’ Robin Olsen for Aston Villa v Olympiacos clash after Chelsea save
Unai Emery has praised Robin Olsen after his save against Chelsea, backing him to help Aston Villa secure a win over Olympiacos in the Conference League.
Thanks to a yellow card in the penalty shootout against Lille, Emi Martinez will miss the semi-final first leg at Villa Park.
As a result, Olsen was always likely to play but wouldn’t have expected to feature in the Premier League against Chelsea.
Certain sections of the fanbase don’t rate the Swede and potentially don’t believe he is good enough. This belief has continued despite a world-class save against Cole Palmer.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, transcribed via Aston Villa on X, Emery has now backed his number two keeper.
He said: “When he plays, he helps the team. The team believes in him and trusts in his performance.
“For example, on Saturday against Chelsea, he saved us. He is humble and he is a very appreciated man in the dressing room.”
Robin Olsen set to start for Aston Villa v Olympiacos
The yellow card situation with Martinez was certainly confusing and required clarification from UEFA regarding the rules.
Villa fans’ worst fears were realised as the Argentine was confirmed to be missing the clash at Villa Park.
He has since picked up an injury and as a result, could have missed the semi-final irrespective of a suspension.
Olsen came on against Chelsea as the Villains threw away a 2-0 lead that they had going in at halftime.
Despite not being wholly responsible, the Sweden international was only able to register two saves as he conceded two.
What may concern Emery is his passing. In 45 minutes on Saturday (27 April), he registered just 10 passes with a 59 per cent success rate [FotMob].
Compare this to Martinez in the first half, he made 16 passes and had an accuracy rate of 84 per cent [FotMob].
It is now clear that Emery backs his number two who must have a great impact on the changing room at Villa Park. This is despite being much worse on the ball than the Argentine.
This should instil some confidence in the fans ahead of a first European semi-final since 1982.
In other Aston Villa news, Dan Bardell has backed a mooted transfer to happen as a “no-brainer” verdict dropped.
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