He established himself in 2019 with Athletic, making his Spain debut a year later and being selected at Euro 2020.Īgainst Croatia, Simon let Pedri's back-pass slip past his foot for a spectacular own goal, but he redeemed himself with penalty saves against Switzerland in the quarter-finals. The coach's explanations won over the Athletic Bilbao stopper, who emerged after Kepa Arrizabalaga left for Chelsea for a world-record £71-million fee for a goalkeeper. Luis Enrique says when Simon errs it does not worry him - as long as he is carrying out the plan set for him. "Unai Simon has everything Spain's goalkeeper needs." Comfortable "If Unai didn't play well with his feet, he couldn't be the goalkeeper of the national team," said Luis Enrique after Spain's draw with Germany. They will have low expectations of featuring, with Luis Enrique making it clear that the 25-year-old is his No 1. However, he was never likely to be selected, with Luis Enrique bringing David Raya from Brentford and Robert Sanchez of Brighton as Simon's backups, two goalkeepers more comfortable with the ball at their feet - and who create fewer headlines. ITV pundit Gary Neville claimed Simon seemed "a real weak point" for La Roja, later advocating for De Gea. Simon got a hand on it and might have kept it out, with some claiming Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea would have saved the shot. Ritsu Doan drove the loose ball past Simon at his near post from the edge of the box. With Spain 1-0 up and cruising against Japan at the start of the second half, Simon played the ball out to Alejandro Balde, who was immediately pressed and lost possession. "They scored two against us, and if they had needed two more, then they would have scored them too, I'm sure," said coach Luis Enrique after the game. Japan laid the blueprint for the North African nation to follow, with Spain malfunctioning completely when the Samurai Blue overloaded their system. They dodged that bullet when Germany triumphed, progressing in second place from Group E to set up Tuesday's last-16 clash with Morocco. With Spain losing, for a few minutes La Roja were due to be eliminated. "And my second dream, my objective could be to play with Aston Villa in Europe.Simon survived scares against Germany in the 1-1 group stage draw, while he was at fault for Japan's first goal in their shock 2-1 win over Spain on Thursday. "My dream is to win a trophy with Aston Villa, it’s my personal challenge at the beginning," he said. Villa sit in third place, ahead of Man City and just four points behind leaders Arsenal.Įmery has already realised one of the tasks he set out to do - play in Europe with Villa. Unai Emery has since guided Villa into the Premier League's top tier and this weekend they challenge themselves against Arsenal, just days after shocking Man City. You can play teams off the pitch and not score - that's what Aston Villa did." "Newcastle are going to be very difficult to beat, in their own ground in particular, and their manager has done a great job there. "Honestly Aston Villa played fantastic football and just lost to bad goals. "To be honest with you, I watched Aston Villa and I can't believe the scoreline," he said. READ MORE: Arsenal could be without five key players for Aston Villa clash READ MORE: Paul Merson delivers title verdict in 'huge' Aston Villa vs Arsenal prediction Speaking on USA Network during the live coverage of Manchester United and Wolves, Ferguson was asked about which team had impressed him the most. In a quote that shocked many at the time, Fergie was impressed with Villa despite their heavy defeat at Newcastle United on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. Aston Villa's rise to prominence may have surprised a few people around the country, but Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson saw the potential very early in the season.
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