Unai Emery asking for fight from Aston Villa on return leg | OneFootball

It wasn't the result that Aston Villa wanted. After playing in the low block for most of the 90 minutes, PSG ended up finding what could end up proving to be the third goal. With a 3-1 deficit heading into Villa Park on Tuesday, fans will cheer for something of a minor miracle to happen in order to advance in the Champions League.

After watching Luis Enrique's side display their abilities in the attack, it looks like a near impossible task. Had Villa survived with only a one-goal defeat, there would have been plenty of room for optimism. It was, after all, clear that Unai Emery wanted to limit and frustrate the PSG attackers as much as possible while protecting and providing cover for the back line.

The match should have shown what is possible when Villa decide to be quick when moving forward, as the lone goal resulted from a well-executed counterplay that was initiated by John McGinn. For the most part, it was a frustrating watch for AVFC faithful, as the hosts did an excellent job of pressuring the ball, and 50/50 balls appeared to be closer to 90/10 during the match.

Emery is still preaching belief and confidence in the ability for Villa to get a result, despite everything. While he would have liked a draw or minimal defeat, he must have known that this was always going to be a huge possibility as well. Heading into the first leg, in a sense he sacrificed a couple of chess pieces in hopes of giving himself a better chance to say checkmate at the end.

Aston Villa boss's self-belief

Speaking to Villa fans, the boss shared via the team's social media team the following message:

For neutrals, it may appear like too much of a stretch. Some, even AVFC fans, may view his words as clinging to false hope. At the end of the day, this is the hand the Villans have been dealt. After being outperformed like that, those in the dressing room will likely feel enraged and play on Tuesday with an internal fire of wanting to show that they can take the fight to PSG.

Yes, Emery will need to open things up. Holding on for a result won't cut it. If Villa are going to exit in the CL quarter-finals, they'll want to do so with an effort showing that they aren't far off from being a mainstay in the latter stages of the competition.