Unai Emery sat down with the media at Bodymoor Heath this afternoon ahead of Aston Villa’s Champions League clash against Bologna at Villa Park on Tuesday night (8pm kick-off). Here’s everything he said in his pre-match press conference:
**Consistency and Challenges**
Unai Emery said, “It’s a challenge every day, every game. We started after the break and it was very important winning at Fulham. The last two matches before the break we drew and it wasn’t enough. We started well and we played before the break very well in the Champions League and won two games but to get the balance is the most important. After the win at Fulham, tomorrow is the new challenge to try to keep the same mentality, performance, and preparation for the match. It will be very difficult but this is the challenge hopefully we can get it. The challenge is to get better every day and now how can we keep the same level we have now for a long time. That’s the most difficult thing. When you achieve an objective at a high level, how can you be demanding and successful in keeping it. That’s the idea I have now. The club is in the same way. The players are with the same message I am giving you here. The words I use repeatedly since I arrived here to now is I don’t want to waste my time here.”
**Importance of Player Availability**
He continued, “Very important. We can have more options in the starting XI with the players. They are fit, getting good performances with the team, it’s the most important. Now we have to be intelligent and prepare well to try to help ourselves on the field. It’s hard to be consistent for 90 minutes and sometimes my experience makes me be clinical, asking the players how they can be consistent physically and mentally at the level we are.”
**Team Motivation and Competition Levels**
“I am only thinking how tomorrow I can get the best performance. Some players can have some risk to be injured … when you are playing important matches, the players want to be ready and hide in case they have some small pain. This is the most important. The players have to be honest and myself now it’s very important how we prepare the game tomorrow but at the beginning it’s about how the players are after Saturday, and then I will decide for tomorrow. We have started in this way but tomorrow is a new challenge.”
**Opposition Analysis and Expectations**
Emery said, “They are being successful in the last years. They are a team with a huge history in Italy. Last year they played fantastic with Motta, new coach was successful with Fiorentina playing last two Conference League finals. When we analyse them they keep the same players and more or less the same successful way. They are not winning easy matches as they are drawing more but they deserve more points than now. They played a fantastic match against Liverpool. Tomorrow for them, they have only one point, it will be a very difficult match for us because they will push to get a point. It’s the third round of matches but they need points as we do. We respect them a lot but we’ll try to have the same motivation and feeling with the fans as our last match. Respecting them is the first thing we can do.”
**Building a Future**
“We love football, we love our work and to be successful. We want to achieve individually and collectively our objectives. One of them of course is to play in the Champions League. We are there in this moment but I want to keep it for a long time. It is difficult. We have to be strong in our idea and in our mind, to create a strong mentality to try to break barriers always.”
**Success Without Wealth**
Discussing the possibility of success without super wealth, Unai noted, “I have my own experiences in Europe, in the Conference League, Europa League and Champions League. We can believe working like we are doing we can keep it. This is the challenge. We are fourth in the Premier League and have two wins in the Champions League. I want it. I want to always be winning more matches than we are losing and trying to work hard to keep it for a long time. Each match for me is very important how we are deeply preparing and deeply being demanding to beat the opponent and the higher level we are facing.”
