Unai Emery sat down with the press after Aston Villa's victory at Brighton
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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: Simon Dael/REX/Shutterstock)
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery spoke to the media after his side's 3-0 win over Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
Marcus Rashford opened the scoring early in the second half, before Marco Asensio and Donyell Malen extended the lead late on. Here is every word Emery said in his post-match press conference...
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Unai, what are your thoughts on the performance and result?
"Good evening. The objective for the end of the season, more or less, is through the Premier League. To play in Europe, in the Champions League, Europa League, Conference. To try to reduce some distances we have with some teams.
"Of course, the first objective was winning against Brentford, they were with us. Now Brighton in front of us, we won. The players they were aware about our momentum, to try to compete, to get our best collectively through individual qualities and skills. We are trying to build the team, getting the structure stronger.
"Today we played like more or less on Sunday against Preston: serious, disciplined, clean sheet. Our momentum in 90 minutes as well with the players we have showing their capacity and individual skills, Rashford scoring, Marco scoring. Malen scoring. Saving some attacks in our box Emiliano Martinez.
"The players on the bench, when they were substituted on in the second half they were some players we needed to help the team. Like Amadou Onana, Disasi, Malen, Marco I think they performed very well. Now we are trying to identify quickly how we can compete with those players better and better.
"Marcus Rashford as well, his second match in a row as a striker getting confidence and goals. Of course, we have to support as well Ollie Watkins. He has to try to compete with Marcus Rashford to help the team as a striker.
"Of course, the next step maybe we can try to do in case we have time is to play with both. But I think we have very good news inside the squad with some players showing their commitment now to get their best. We will need for the next weeks for Saturday against Nottingham Forest. Forest, the Champions League, for the FA Cup and of course today.
"In the first half we struggled a little bit and weren’t performing very well, but even then we had one possibility to get a penalty for us. We had as well one very good chance for Marcus Rashford. We conceded something defensively more than normal as well, but they didn’t score and in the second half I think we were progressively feeling more comfortable and getting better, using our capacity individually and collectively to score the goals."
Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring against Brighton
Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring against Brighton(Image: Simon Dael/REX/Shutterstock)
Rashford was signed as a left winger, now he’s moved to striker…
"But we were analysing him firstly how he played and how he performed before. With us, we were practicing and we were open to playing both positions — as a winger and as a striker.
"It depends in each moment. For example, today he played as a striker because on Sunday we practiced and he scored two goals. I decided to carry on with the same position he was playing, but he can play as well on the left side. It depends.
"But the most important thing is how he’s feeling, how he’s recovering confidence in himself playing football, being focused on his football, being with his teammates comfortable as well, identifying our structure, style and demands. With him, he’s getting progressively better. Today it was the same with Marco Asensio.
"With Malen, only a little bit (of progression) because he’s playing less minutes than I wanted. That’s because I want to play the competitive squad we have now. But today he scored, which is really fantastic for him and the team."
Not many teams have the ability to bring on the quality of Asensio and Watkins off the bench…
"The problem we had this season, we were playing matches and some players they were injured and some players they were not physically well during the season. We weren’t getting 90 minutes performing in our demands. We were struggling sometimes for this reason.
"Of course, our objective was to recover some injured players, we signed some players because we were thinking they could help us with the level they have. Of course, they were under their performance when they arrived here because they were not playing confidently. But now progressively they are getting better.
"The adaptation was going quick with Marco Asensio because the position he’s playing with us is really his position. Sometimes, he was not playing the 10 number. But with us, it’s easy for him.
"Rashford is getting progressively better. It was more slowly. But now I think we can feel him playing with confidence and feeling good with his teammates and our idea. As a striker, his power is running the opponent behind.
"Malen as well, the minutes he played were good. Scoring a goal is really fantastic. Disasi of course means Andres Garcia is playing less but we have to set our mentality as a team, how necessary it is to have players in the starting 11 and the bench helping. Just like Sunday, we had the difference against Preston in the second half.
"Now, we are playing on Saturday and maybe we will have options and opportunities to show, to change some players on the field that didn’t play today. It’s because some players with two matches in a row playing in three days, maybe it’s not enough time to rest."
Aston Villa have won six games in a row
Aston Villa have won six games in a row(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Are the players buying into the rotation?
"Yes, more or less. I am trying to do a plan with the starting 11 decision, with the players in the bench. Sometimes you have to plan winning, you have to plan losing, you have to plan drawing.
"I knew before the match maybe the second half was necessary to introduce Asensio and Watkins, getting us a good impact. And they did it."
Lots of praise is going to the attackers, but is more credit needed for your defenders?
"We know. Our objective in front, the only way to achieve it is reducing conceding goals like we did before because we were under our expectations defensively to get more clean sheets, to reduce the goals we were conceding.
"Through we were defensively getting disciplined, getting more compact than we did before. It was very important. Of course, the goalkeepers were telling us we need to reduce our goals because we are conceding a lot! The objective we have to get our target in different competitions is improving defensively."
Do you think you will sign Marcus Rashford permanently?
"It is not the time to speak about it now because I told before when someone was asking me the same, it’s not the same decision for different reasons; if we are in the Champions League, the Europa League, the Conference League or not.
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"Of course, he’s performing well. He’s here because he wanted to come here with us, to try to feel confidence, comfortable and play football. And as well, to try and help us. We signed him because we were thinking about how much he can help us, but at the beginning in this moment we have competitions to play and we can set as our objective for him and for us.
"At the end of the season, hopefully we can get the best for him and we can get the best for us. Doing the way, we are really happy if he’s feeling comfortable, if he’s feeling here getting his level he had and again progressively achieving it, I am happy for him and for the team because we are getting the same objective together."
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