Aston Villa boss Unai Emery previews their UEFA Champions League UCL clash with Monaco
Stade Louis II, Monaco
Courtesy of UEFA
Stade Louis II, Monaco
Courtesy of UEFA
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00:00Just before we begin, sorry, just a reminder that it's a pre-match press conference.
00:29So we'll not be dealing with transfer speculation tonight.
00:32It's about the game in the Champions League.
00:34I'll speak to you after if you've got any questions.
00:37OK.
00:41If you raise your hand, then we'll try and work our way around the room.
00:55Hello there, Unai.
00:5613 points from six games is a tremendous achievement so far.
01:01If you could get the team to finish in the top eight,
01:05what would that say about the progress that's been made by Aston Villa, do you think?
01:09Good evening, bonsoir.
01:12I think we are being very motivated playing in the Champions League
01:20because the club for a long time didn't play
01:24and Europe has always been something very special for me.
01:29And I am transmitting the play as well.
01:32Trying to feel it, everybody, to play Europe last year and this year.
01:39And we want to compete, to compete, trying to be a protagonist in this competition.
01:47And we have a very huge opportunity.
01:54Arriving here to play day seven with 13 points,
01:58I think we'll need three or four points more to get the top eight.
02:06But now, of course, our target is to play in the top eight.
02:12Tomorrow is the key.
02:14Firstly, because in Monaco they have as well this opportunity,
02:19in case they are winning us, they can get 16 points.
02:23And with 16 points, maybe, maybe, not sure, but maybe could be as well in the top eight.
02:29I think maybe 17 is the point the team will need, but even with 16.
02:36And our opportunity and our objective is to try to get, not 16,
02:41try to get 19 points.
02:44Because with 19 points, of course, it's sure we will be there.
02:48But how we are playing this competition is the most important.
02:54Trying to enjoy each moment, trying to focus as much,
02:59trying to show our capacity, how we can face in this competition
03:03against the better teams in the world.
03:06Tomorrow, Monaco is one of the teams as well experienced in Europe.
03:11Last year, second in the French League.
03:15This year, fourth.
03:18Here, I play sometimes and it's very difficult.
03:21They have very good players.
03:22And really, I think for all Aston Villa supporters,
03:27it's again one day to try to share together our feelings for this competition.
03:41Good evening, Unai.
03:42First of all, I wanted to ask you how important it is to finish in the top eight,
03:47because you don't want two extra games in February in the playoffs
03:51with the tight schedule and the FA Cup game coming up.
03:54And also, I wanted to ask you about, tomorrow is going to be a difficult game.
03:58We have to remember that Monaco, their next game is Inter Milan away.
04:03So they're going to be really up for tomorrow's game,
04:05which is a must-win for them maybe.
04:07So it's going to be a difficult game, isn't it?
04:09Yes, of course, very difficult.
04:11And we won.
04:13I am Bayern Munich at home.
04:15We won Leipzig away.
04:17And we lost Prussia.
04:20This is this competition.
04:21It's very difficult, everything.
04:23And we have to be 100% focused, respecting them.
04:26Of course, because they have a very good structure tactically with their coach
04:31and very good players, young players and very potential young players.
04:37And to get to the top eight, of course, is very important
04:41because we are playing less matches.
04:45But in case we will play as well, it's an opportunity
04:52to try to build our team,
04:55try to be as best competitive way we have to.
05:02And the Champions League is the best team in the world.
05:06Tomorrow is one French, very experienced club.
05:10And we are in this competition for everything.
05:15Of course, we are no favorite.
05:17But if we are getting top eight,
05:20we have to try to enjoy and to compete,
05:25thinking and preparing to do our best individual and collective work.
05:41Hi, Unai. Can I get an injury update on Amadou Benane?
05:43How long is he going to miss?
05:45And also, John McGinn, is he available for this match?
05:48Yes, we have some players out.
05:51But the players, they are available for tomorrow,
05:55more or less, after we play two matches in a few days.
06:00I think the players are excited, motivated.
06:04We are trying to rest well, to try to have good food.
06:10Tomorrow, we are going to play in the evening.
06:13And of course, we can prepare the match as well in our meetings.
06:18And I think we are going to be ready 100%
06:22with the players we have for tomorrow, to compete
06:25and to show our capacity, our possibilities as well,
06:31to get the three points.
06:34Hi, Unai. Can I ask you about Yuri Tieleman?
06:37He's been so important for you.
06:39He was obviously part of the Leicester team that was relegated.
06:42People maybe wrote him off a little bit,
06:44but he's been so crucial for your team.
06:47Yuri, he played here for one year and a half, I think.
06:51I said Anderlecht.
06:53He signed in Leicester.
06:56And when I met him in his home,
07:02it was very important in our conversation
07:04to know, firstly, as a man.
07:08As a man, how is his life every day?
07:16With family, thinking about football.
07:18His ambition as well,
07:21to try to keep being important in his career as a player
07:25and as well in one club, being ambitious like him.
07:29And he's showing it.
07:32He's always ready to play.
07:34He's always focusing on his match,
07:37competing in his thoughts 100%
07:43to improve, to help the team, to follow our message.
07:46And really, for us, last year was the adaptation of him to us,
07:53more or less as well.
07:55He had some moments playing in different positions,
08:02but I think last year was very important how he adapted to us
08:07and how he was understanding
08:10how we wanted to build the team with him.
08:14And this year, I think he's playing consistently
08:18and he's playing as well, again, in different positions
08:21because he can play in different positions.
08:23He's a versatile player,
08:25but his better quality is his mind, his mentality.
08:30Hi, coach. How important is Emiliano Martinez for you on and off the pitch, please?
08:37On and off the pitch?
08:39A lot.
08:41Emiliano Martinez, for me and for us, is very important in everything.
08:47He's another player, very ambitious.
08:51And his life is family,
08:53his life is football,
08:55his life is football,
08:58and his life is family, football, Aston Villa.
09:02His commitment with Aston Villa is a huge commitment,
09:06with the team-mates, with the coaches, with the owners.
09:10And he progresses his life always hard-working.
09:17And now he's an experienced player,
09:20achieving individual very huge objectives,
09:25to be the best goalkeeper in the world.
09:27But the first characteristic of him as well is
09:31he's ambitious to continue improving
09:34and getting trophies,
09:38getting individual awards,
09:40and he's working every day to focus on these objectives.
09:48As a goalkeeper,
09:51he shows here in Aston Villa his progress as well,
09:55and how he's helping the team.
09:57Of course, it's very important.
09:59And his mentality, transmitting as well,
10:02the message in the dressing room is very, very important.
10:05And outside it's important because he's a goalkeeper.
10:10We can travel to New Zealand,
10:13and the people, they will be there waiting for him.
10:17We can travel to, I don't know, to Toronto,
10:22and there will be Argentinians waiting for him as well in the hotel.
10:26And he's a very recognised player and man in the world.
10:31And for us, I think it's very important.
10:35Unai, on Saturday after the game,
10:37Ollie Watkins said that he would like to play alongside John Duran.
10:43Is that difficult when there's so many important games,
10:47to change the system and go to a two?
10:50How long do you think before you can maybe use both of them together?
10:55Firstly, it's my challenge.
10:57It's my challenge to try to get the best of them.
11:00Individually, and then collectively.
11:02Collectively means maybe playing together.
11:08But we have to work it tactically.
11:14Because to play with two strikers,
11:16properly two strikers,
11:18they are not with the same task playing together.
11:22Because they have to try to help the team as well.
11:25In our structure, tactically, offensively, and defensively.
11:29And I tried it before.
11:32And someday we were successful.
11:35After one month, more or less,
11:38John Duran out of the team.
11:40Again, we are recovering the work we did before.
11:47And of course, I think we are going to watch those players playing together.
11:54And maybe during the match as well.
11:58I think I can find a solution as well someday
12:02to play at the beginning and start living together.
12:05But they have to try to understand their role.
12:11I think at the moment,
12:14starting this season,
12:16we were more or less showing the capacity we have
12:20to play with both.
12:23Giving them their role and helping the team like they did.
12:27And hopefully, we can get of them
12:31the best performances from here to the end of the season.
12:39Unai, last year Dortmund were a bit of a surprise package in this competition.
12:43They got all the way through to the final.
12:45If you do finish in the top eight,
12:47do you think that you can be considered as contenders to actually win the thing?
12:53In this competition, to be a contender to...
12:55If you finish in the top eight, yeah.
12:58Of course, we have to try to focus each moment.
13:02Firstly, we got to be in the next round.
13:05Now we have the possibilities and the opportunity to get to the top eight.
13:09But it will be very difficult.
13:11After tomorrow's match, we can speak again.
13:15But to speak more than the next round, I don't want to.
13:19Why? Because football changes in a few seconds.
13:25And we have to try to be strong in our mentality,
13:30but looking at only short time.
13:35And the short time is tomorrow.
13:37And tomorrow, of course, I am very motivated.
13:39I am trying to send a message for the players as well
13:43to be demanding how we are more or less
13:49facing the last matches.
13:52Away Everton, away Arsenal, at home.
13:57But keep being consistent, keep being demanding.
14:02It's really the greatest challenge we have.
14:05And tomorrow, if we are showing it, I will be happy.
14:19Do you still keep a close eye on Ligue 1?
14:22You know well this championship.
14:24And what do you think about Monaco?
14:26Monaco is a team with very good experiences in Europe.
14:33A historic club in Europe.
14:36In France, of course, they have been successful last year.
14:39They finished second, this year they are fourth.
14:41Always they have very young players with a huge potential.
14:47And they have always been very clinical signing players
14:53with this potential and then selling them to Europe.
14:57But always being competitive.
14:59And I respect them a lot.
15:02I played here two times with PSG.
15:07And they won the league in front of us.
15:11And I know how the capacity they have to be competitive
15:17and to play being successful.
15:21And tomorrow in 90 minutes we are going to respect them
15:23in this direction.
15:25And as well I played with Monaco four titles here in France.
15:30In Super Cup or for the league.
15:33And they have these habits.
15:36They have the habits to play in this level.
15:40And of course for us tomorrow is a challenge as well
15:45to show how we can be as well taking good balance
15:50or getting good balance in Europe.
15:52Feeling comfortable playing against Monaco
15:58in the level they have.
16:00Thank you so much.
16:02See you tomorrow.