Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery (Image: Getty Images)
Unai Emery sat down with the media ahead of Aston Villa's Champions League clash against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday night (8pm kick-off).
Villa can move into the top eight of the league phase table with a victory, while Leipzig need to win to keep their hopes of qualifying for the knockouts alive after losing their first five matches in the competition. Here is every word Emery said in his pre-match press conference...
What have you made of your Champions League campaign so far?
"We are very motivated and we enjoy it and tomorrow it’s game six and it's very important because we can feel close to getting in the next round, but we have the opportunity to get in the top. It’s very difficult against RB Leipzig. At the beginning of the competition they were contenders more than us to be in the top eight, but they had a really hard schedule playing against a lot of very good teams.
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"They don’t have one point but tomorrow there is a chance for them to try and be in the next round. I like matches like that because it’s key for them to get to the next round, playing with their supporters. It will be fantastic for them, how we can respond to this and how we can get our performances. It’s a really good match, I think we have to enjoy and try and get more experiences together and try and respond in this game.'
How do you keep Watkins and Duran happy?
"They are both very good strikers with different experiences. Watkins getting more experience in the national team and in Europe and being consistent and competitive always with everything we need on the field. Duran has big potential and progressively he’s getting better. Now he’s much better than two years ago. On Saturday he scored a very important goal for us. Those goals for a striker are very important for the team and for them, but they are committed to understanding each moment.
"The next challenge I have is to play with both. I will try again to play with both. We have to keep the balance, that’s the next challenge. The first is the team and tomorrow for them it’s an important match playing in Europe and the Champions League. This is the motivation we have."
What can you learn about the last away game in the Champions League against Club Brugge?
"Our expectation at the beginning was to try to enjoy and use the experiences we had last year. Even when we lost in Brugge it was very good to learn. Even being more or less our style very good, tomorrow it’s a new test. To be consistent as a team is our challenge in this competition and in the Premier League and trying to play every match focusing which we need to get our performances and improve with the players and the team. This is the idea I have with the players and the team."
Do you see this game as a building block to future growth?
"Our expectation at the beginning was to try to enjoy, try to use the experiences we had last year in Europe with another level. We are doing a fantastic way. Even when we lost away against Brugge, it was very good to learn how difficult it is the challenge we faced last year and this year. Tomorrow is a new test. To be consistent as a team is our challenge.
"To be consistent in this competition, to be consistent sharing with Premier League, trying to play every match focusing on the wishes we need to get our performances. This is how we can face our expectations in this competition and how we can increase our level and meet the demands we will face next week, next month, next year. This is the objective I have with the players, the team and with the club."
Can you describe the importance of Boubacar Kamara in your team?
"Kamara is a very important player because he gives a lot of balance in our structure. Tactically, he is a very intelligent player and when we need to play covering, keeping possession, he’s one player we have to continue the process with him. When we arrived here two years ago, his process was being fantastic and he got injured. He’s starting playing even with a better level than he had before his injury.
"For the squad and for the players when we needed to sign a player like Onana in the summer it was because we lost a lot of balance when we lost Kamara. Now with Kamara, Barkley, Onana and Tielemans and sometimes playing there John McGinn, we have very strong midfielders keeping us at the level we need and Kamara is one of those players."
How strong has Lucas Digne been this season?
"He is a player like every coach would want. He’s mature, very responsible, he wants to improve every day. Even when he’s playing matches, he wants to train more. When we are coming from the national team matches with two days off, he’s usually only accepting one day off and then he’s coming to train with us. He’s back with his national team, which is fantastic news for him and for us.
"On the field, he’s giving us a lot of moments, discipline defensively and offensively with the ball. His mentality is fantastic. He wants more and more. He’s a good example for other players, how he’s trying every day to train and improve – learning and listening and being humble.
"He played in Barcelona, he played in Paris-Saint Germain, he played in Rome. He’s a player whose career is very good. When we arrived here, his career was maybe going down. Again, he reacted fantastically with the demands we set here to get a new challenge for himself."
Can we get a team news update?
"[Leon Bailey] has a small injury. He’s not available for tomorrow. We will wait for the next match on Saturday. Jacob Ramsey is progressing very well, but still weeks until he’s available."
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UEFA Champions League
Watch Aston Villa vs RB Leipzig for free
Aston Villa face RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday, December 10. The game will be broadcast on Amazon's Prime Video and can be streamed free by signing up for an Amazon Prime 30-day free trial.
Every Champions League and Europa League game is also available on TNT Sports with Discovery+ Premium.