Unai Emery spoke with the press at the Gtech Community Stadium after Aston Villa's victory against Brentford
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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: PA)
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery sat down with the media after his side's 1-0 victory over Brentford in the Premier League.
Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the game in the 49th minute, while Robin Olsen won kept a clean sheet on his first league start of the campaign in Emi Martinez's absence. Here is every word Emery said in his post-match press conference...
Unai, your thoughts on the win?
"I think today we were prepared in this game. More or less trying to get balance in the league. We are not going to play now 25 days again in the Premier League. We are going to play Wednesday in the Champions League, the break for international matches, then FA Cup, then in Brighton.
"More or less to try to get confidence, belief in our way. Today was a very important match. We have spoken, in the meetings, how to be competing. Competing here, wishing to win in everything we were doing and today we needed to adapt to every demand. They were pushing us for 90 minutes.
"We started the first 45 minutes dominating more, controlling the game, creating chances, corners, and we didn't concede a lot of them. The second half we scored the goal, the second one VAR refusing and then they started progressively dominating more than us.
"We needed some transition, but it was the match for our defensive position with the players, our commitment defensively to try to get a clean sheet through Olsen. He did a fantastic job today, and the back-four as well, a fantastic job. We achieved those three points, it is giving us the confidence and the belief in the Premier League to try to continue in fighting for a European position."
How proud are you of Olsen?
"Yes, he did a fantastic job and he is always ready to play, to help. He's so so appreciated as a person in the dressing room, and the players as well, they are happy for him as well, because to be substitute (I think he says this) for Emi Martinez, the best goalkeeper in the world, is not easy and he is always doing fantastic as a person, as a professional.
"But for example, last match we played away, he (Martinez) was not available in the second half in Palace. He (Olsen) played, we conceded three goals and today was very important, for his confidence, for the players to try get this victory through a clean sheet, to try help and support Robin Olsen. It was really fantastic how he played today and how he helped us today."
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What were Martinez and Olsen's issues?
"They were yesterday…not feeling good. Some muscle pain, not really so important because we tested them, but they weren’t available to play today. We decided to avoid risk with both. Hopefully they can recover for Wednesday."
How well did Disasi play today?
“Yes, he’s adapting with us. When I spoke with him before he added us in the transfer window, I spoke with the position we needed to try to occupy with him, playing as a centre-back, playing sometimes as a four or three building up on the right side.
“He played before in other teams in this position and he accepted the challenge. Of course, when he played against Liverpool as a centre-back he played good. When he played as a right full-back at Palace and Brugge he was progressively getting better to try and get confidence. Today I think he went one step forward more, playing and succeeding better."
Do you think Watkins handled the boos well?
“Yes, Ollie is always working and taking a huge responsibility with his task. Of course, when he’s scoring it’s fantastic. When he’s not scoring, he’s helping. He had another very good chance - ok - but his attitude always is being fantastic and he worked like we needed, he scored and we won.
“The environment is the same. We’re playing away. They are professional. He was focused to play, he was focused to do his task and he did."
Should Brentford have had a penalty?
"For me, not. Clearly not. Clearly not a penalty."
This win must feel significant with so many matches against fellow contenders for Europe coming up…
“Yes, of course today was very important because they were before us and to beat them is more or less our opponent (for Europe). Two years ago, we were competing with them to get Europe and we got it in the last match against Brighton because we won - if we weren’t winning, they would be in Europe.
“Last year as well, this year as well. Of course, there are other teams as well really playing fantastic, performing fantastic.
“We have to be really demanding, extremely demanding for the rest of the season. Today winning of course is something we can add as a confidence, we can add as a believing in our next match we’re going to play and we can focus now on Brugge on Wednesday.
“Then of course we are going to rest more than other teams but we will work like a small pre-season with some players and try to be ready because we are now really hungry to play the last two months and a half because we lost something in our way this year and have to try to recover, especially in the Premier League.”
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