Unai Emery explains why John McGinn is desperate to end Aston Villa's FA Cup hoodoo
Unai Emery has revealed John McGinn’s desire to end Villa’s FA Cup hoodoo – with the skipper’s brother having been involved in more of the club’s wins in the competition than him.
McGinn’s older sibling Stephen played for Wycombe the last time Villa were victorious in the Cup eight years ago.
They have lost every tie since meaning McGinn, the club’s longest-serving current player having joined from Hibernian in 2018, is yet to taste a win in the competition.
Emery asked his squad to tell him their previous experiences of Cup glory in preparation for Saturday’s third round tie at Middlesbrough.
He smiled: “I asked John McGinn, because he was here (at Villa) in that period. He is the first who wants to break the run!”
Emery also wants to improve his own record in the competition after last year’s 2-1 third round exit to League Two Stevenage.
The head coach, then just six matches into his reign, believes much has changed in the following 12 months but though Villa are riding high in the Premier League, he has vowed to take the competition seriously.
Asked why he had asked players for their own Cup memories, he explained: “For this competition, the first thing we have to understand is the prestige it has.
“I wanted to listen to their feelings and motivation about every competition, how they have faced things before, whether they were successful or not.
“It is not just in the FA Cup but in other countries. For example, I was myself successful in winning cups in France with PSG. Moussa Diaby won a trophy too in France.
“Now we have to try and do something together here at Villa. Every player has his experiences and I want to add and join those to better understand our motivation.”
Villa have not won the FA Cup since 1957, which was also the last season they faced Middlesbrough in the competition.
Emery is leaving it late before naming his starting XI, with the boss weighing up whether to hand 20-year-old goalkeeper Filip Marschall a second senior appearance. Robin Olsen, the senior back-up to No.1 Emi Martinez, has resumed light training but is not available for selection.
“Always we have to be demanding when we are playing in every match we face, but this is a way for a trophy,” said Emery. “It is a way to prestige for us and the club, for every supporter and coach.
“When we lost to Stevenage it was during a moment when we weren’t 100 per cent focused on the prestige of the FA Cup.
“We were in trouble in the league – we were in a different moment with the players.
“Some players were out of the club two weeks after that tie. For example, Morgan Sanson played and scored our goal that day.
“He was a fantastic player and a fantastic person but afterwards we decided he wouldn’t get much opportunity to play here and he decided to leave.
“But he played. Why? Because I needed to know how he would play for us.
“This year is different because we have a settled structure, a settled squad.”
