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Aston Villa 'mistakes', Luiz transfer, injuries - Every word Unai Emery said in Juventus press…

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery

Unai Emery spoke to the media at Bodymoor Heath on Tuesday afternoon ahead of Aston Villa's Champions League clash against Juventus this evening.

Villa won their first three league phase games against BSC Young Boys, Bayern Munich and Bologna, but fell to a defeat against Club Brugge earlier this month. Here is every word Torres said in the pre-match press conference...

Did you have a target in the league phase?

"I like this format a lot in the Champions League because I think a lot of teams can have more and more options to try to correct some mistakes by playing eight matches. We are watching the table, some teams really do very well as a surprise in the top positions and some teams not being consistent at the moment.

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"But normally at the end, the matches played in this competition and the first round of Europe, I think more or less maybe there can be some surprises, but usually the better teams will be there."

How highly did you rate Motta as a player and now as a manager?

"I think as a player he was very, very competitive and intelligent. He was a top player with skills, physically strong, mentally strong and now as a coach he has started being successful and his progression has been fantastic.

"Juventus is in a process to be competitive. They're playing very good football. Last year with Bologna he had a very good job. I appreciate him as a person and as a player and now as a manager."

Is there a main reason which connects your recent bad results?

"We are focused in each competition. We’re very happy in the Champions League! We want to enjoy tomorrow with our supporters in Villa Park against Juventus. It’s a historic team, like Real Madrid in Spain, Bayern Munich in Germany and PSG in France. To watch here tomorrow in Villa Park a match like we will face tomorrow is fantastic."

Is the amount of games causing issues to put problems right on the training pitch?

"Last year we had experiences in the Europa Conference League. We enjoyed it a lot until the semi-final. We want to play a lot of matches and hopefully we will play until the last month of the season and of course the Champions League is the best competition in the world.

"Then we are managing each match more or less by being consistent in the preparation and in the idea to build a team, but we are separating each moment because it’s not the same. They are very important three points, but even if we are not winning and taking only one point, it’s good. Our objective is to be in the next round.

"We have the possibility to get in top eight, we will try to get this. Tomorrow if we win we can maybe be contenders to get it but today not. Juventus is the favourites for tomorrow, they have experience and are a top team. They are a favourite to be in the top eight."

What have you made of the atmosphere at Villa Park in the Champions League?

"Enjoy it. We want to enjoy it by competing and enjoy it by winning. We’re in the Champions League, trying to be consistent. Hopefully we can play lots more years in the Champions League, but now we have to try to face Juventus being competitive and watching how we can face them. Juventus are more or less a favourite to win this competition."

Is this the perfect game to get everyone excited again?

"We have to keep balance in everything. This competition we started being very excited and we’re still being very excited. We played four and lost one in Brugge, but we have been competitive and playing well and being happy with our supporters in this competition.

"Tomorrow is the same objective. We are seeing how we can get our best performances collectively and overall to get our ambition for this season. The Champions League is one of the ways to get it."

Unai Emery (Image: PA)

The club had to sell Luiz but he has struggled - would you take him back further down the line?

"I don’t understand really the question, he must be happy there. He must get the challenge there with his quality and to help them to get their objective collectively. I am not thinking really about him wanting to leave from there, but I don’t know. I think he is now injured."

What is the team news update?

"In the squad we included Konsa and Kamara, not Onana and not Ramsey."

You’ve had problems with clean sheets, but in the Champions League you have only lost one freak goal. What has the difference been?

"We are working on it and you have to feel strong in our structure not only thinking defensively. We have to improve, we must be stronger in everything defensively starting with the ball and starting to dominate matches.

"I’m confident because the team and players showed me and the supporters the capacity to respond and react quickly in some moments. We weren't as strong as we wanted. We have to create our ideal and style to feel comfortable and be strong with the ball and in our defensive shape without it."

What are you expecting from Juventus?

"We analyse Juventus this season in the league and Champions League, but they are very strong defensively with and without the ball. Trying to dominate the match, they are building a team and trying to keep consistency and dominate the matches with the ball.

"Without the ball they are strong in their positioning. They played a 4-4 draw with Inter, but it was a strange match because usually they don’t concede goals. With or without Vlahovic, it could be different. They will try to do something similar to their last match against AC Milan. When they’re with the ball they feel comfortable but they didn’t threaten too much offensively in the last match because they didn’t have a striker. It was very different for that team to create chances.

"This is the reason the season of theirs started really well, they can miss some matches scoring goals but more or less they’ve been very competitive. It’s not easy to play against them; they change small positions on the field and are always very organised."

What have you made of Weah’s progress?

"His progress is getting experience in different teams and in the national team. It’s helping him to be progressively better players. Tomorrow maybe can’t play in the starting XI and his best quality is his power in running in behind the defence. We respect him.

"I haven't met him since 2017. Tomorrow I will tell him something about our task. We worked together but he will play with Juventus and try to threaten us and everything we know of him is that he’s better than when he was younger."

How will you combat Cambiaso’s threat?

"Cambiaso is performing very well, playing in different sides. He has the capacity to build up and play with the ball and run behind when he is going higher, overall we have to stop the organisation as a team. We are focusing more overall on the match and how we can use our capacity to control the game with our positioning.

"We know we have to defend very well and recover the ball but the structure is strong. They can play to their best capacity but we are more or less focusing and being in the idea of dominating to play a good match to use our skills to threaten them. To enjoy, to play intensely with emotions and looking to show our best."

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