Aston Villa Goalkeeper James Wright Calls Preseason Tour in Indonesia 'Very Enjoyable'

Young Aston Villa goalkeeper James Wright found the team's preseason tour in Indonesia to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. He described the trip as "really a fun experience" and noted how different it was compared to being in England.

Wright, 21, believes the tour offers a valuable opportunity for players to experience a different football culture. He also highlighted how the preseason matches help the team improve their physical condition ahead of the new competitive season. The goalkeeper specifically praised the Indonesia All Stars, coached by Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto, for their quality performance. "They played well. Before the match, we actually didn't know what to anticipate because we had never seen them play before. But they showed very good quality. All the players performed well," Wright stated.

Head coach Unai Emery shared his thoughts on his second visit to Indonesia, having previously been there with Sevilla in 2014. He emphasized that preseason tours like this always provide a good experience for his team as they prepare for the new season. "When I came with Sevilla in 2014, the experience was different. We stayed in Jakarta, but the matches were played in Bandung," Emery recalled. "For us, it's always valuable to experience the football atmosphere in different countries and see the level of play there."

Emery also believes such matches are an excellent platform for local teams to showcase their quality directly against major clubs like Aston Villa. Following their matches in Indonesia, Aston Villa's preseason tour was scheduled to continue in Thailand against BG Pathum United.