Unai Emery
A big threat on the right for Tottenham due to his quality in the final third, it could be quite the battle down the wing, with Aston Villa’s Alex Moreno also catching the eye following his switch from Real Betis. Emery is well aware of the danger Porro poses his team and he is intent on stopping him come 3pm on Saturday.
Unai Emery said: “Yes of course, [Porro] is playing very well. He’s a strong player offensively and defensively. He’ll face Moreno and [Lucas] Digne and I want to stop him and take the challenge with the duels.”
As well as speaking about Porro, Emery was also quizzed on Tottenham. Discussing the tactics they used against Crystal Palace, the former Arsenal boss admitted that Mason has some “very powerful players in the transition” and “very good players who can make different tactical decisions.”
Unai Emery said: “Their expectation in the beginning was to be in the top four. It’s now more difficult than it was five to ten years ago. There are now seven teams trying to be in the top four. Maybe Aston Villa now as well. It’s more difficult. Tottenham have had some problems in the last month but they have very good players. The last match they played against Palace they kept good balance tactically and they have very powerful players in the transition, being strong defensively. They have very good players who can make different tactical decisions. The last matches against them at home here [Villa] have struggled. It’s now a challenge to get a good performance at home. We have to believe in our players, in our tactical way we are progressing. That is the match on Saturday. To play a great match, spirit, and playing and trying to get at them. They have a three-goal difference with us but our mind is to be very competitive on Saturday and to get better.”
Securing a win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on New Year’s Day courtesy of second-half goals from Emi Buendia and Douglas Luiz, Spurs need to make sure that Villa don’t record a double over them this campaign. If so, the final two games of the Premier League season could be very interesting indeed as the battle for Europe really heats up.
