Unai Emery was distracted by the translator at his pre-match news conference on Thursday.
The Aston Villa manager answered the first question before stopping and asking if the door could be closed.
The translator, for French journalists, was speaking too loudly from the other room at Bodymoor Heath’s media centre and Emery could not focus during his 10 minutes with the press.
With the news conference restarting, and the promise from the translator to talk more quietly, Emery continued and finished.
It was another unwanted interruption before a game which could define Villa’s rapidly stuttering season.
Victory over Lille in Birmingham – with Villa already holding a 1-0 first-leg lead – would push them into the Europa League quarter finals against either Bologna or Roma.
It would be the tonic for the faltering Premier League season, with Villa fortunate to remain in the top four after two wins from 10.
Only the inconsistencies of Chelsea and Liverpool have kept Villa’s Champions League hopes – via the league – intact. They should recognise how lucky they are.
Victory in the Europa League is, of course, another route to the European elite, which is why Thursday can hold the key to rescuing the season.
Skipper John McGinn’s return after a knee injury will only help and Youri Tielemans is expected to be fit after the international break following an ankle problem.
His return to fitness cannot come soon enough. Villa need reinforcements as they look to navigate another tricky European tie.