Emery previews City showdown

Unai Emery faced the media at Bodymoor Heath on Friday afternoon, to look ahead to Saturday’s meeting with Manchester City.

The Villans take on the league leaders at Villa Park in the day’s early Premier League kick-off, looking to claim a fourth successive win in all competitions.

And Emery met with the local and national outlets at his side’s training base before the clash, discussing the four-year anniversary of his appointment at the club, tomorrow's opponents and his side's strong form.

Read the key lines from his pre-match press conference below.

On celebrating four years at Villa...

“I am not celebrating! My only celebrations are when I can have some days off, or I can rest, but other days, working, focusing.

“I can remember four years ago when I came here, my birthday is November 3, and I think I played more or less, or I was on my birthday, 24 hours preparing one game. I remember it when I arrived here, and now it’s the same.

“I am not doing celebrations, I am only trying to get better, to work more, and to try to enjoy the way we are doing.”

On being stronger this season?

“It’s difficult to answer this question because everything in our objective is to improve. But it’s not only changing, replacing some players, as well as our structure as a club.

“Building the stadium with more capacity for supporters, improving a lot of things as well around here, training ground, or even inside.

“Of course, the most important at the end is how the players are responding on the field, and how we can build our structure as well on the field strong.

“So, everything makes sense, and (we) can analyse deeply, when (things happen). We are in the day eight tomorrow, Premier League. We are in the day four in Champions League, the next match against Barcelona.

“We are playing the next round on Wednesday after the one match we played in Carabao Cup against Coventry. We don’t start yet playing in FA Cup. We are in October.

“Of course, the objective is to be better, to always improve, to try to be successful in our way, but the first summary I can do about how we are doing everything is trying to analyse and to try to understand the fourth year I am here.

“And all the years, we did very important things, improving. Now, I don’t know, we have some very, very young players, talented players. Of course, hopefully we can exploit them.

“Progressively, they are getting better, yes, but it’s not enough to analyse if we are better or not. Of course, this is the objective, and hopefully, we can speak about it in six months, and I can tell you we are better.”

On Man City...

“The are favourites (for the title), with Arsenal. The last year, Manchester City and Arsenal, they are so, so strong, so, so competitive in everything. Their identity is clear.

“We dream sometimes to be close to them. Two years ago, we were until December, competing with Arsenal and Manchester City. Last year, we were as well in December, competing close. Always, they were in front, but close.

“Now, they have 21 points, we have eight. The day seven. The difference is so, so, big, because they started fantastic, really fantastic, and they are performing, they are competing, they are winning.

“They only lost one match against PSG in Champions League, so tomorrow is a huge challenge. Huge. Always, it’s a huge challenge to play against Manchester City, always.

“In Villa Park, in Manchester, and as a coach, as a manager, I like so, so much to play matches against teams like Manchester City.”

On where his side can improve...

“Collectively and individually. Collectively, tactically, understand better our positioning, understand better how we can feel stronger when we are defending, when we are attacking, how we can get better our high press, how we can get better our medium block pressing as well the opponent, avoiding their capacity to dominate us.

“Improve as well, when we are defending our box, to be so, so compact. Of course, we are doing well, but work to do, still work to do, and improve. And when we are with the ball, especially, I think we can play trying to dominate more.

“We can play as well, adapting of the opponent when they are getting us man-to-man pressing, to try to get duels, win duels, stop those duels, and then dominate through our positioning. This is a lot of things to improve.

“Individually, every player must improve, but how we are progressing, how some players they are getting more minutes and feeling comfortable and getting confidence, is really one progression clear, but still more and more to do.

“And other players, they are (in a) lack of confidence, lack of minutes to feel this confidence in our structure on the field, but of course, I am positive how we can do it during the time, working and showing the attitude until now we showing the players.”

On senior squad members...

“It makes sense, the captaincy, when they are doing good work as well in the dressing room, when I am not there.

“I don’t like to be in the dressing room with them, in their changing room. Usually, I am being of course in the changing room when we are in the stadium with the players, but here in the training ground, only I think three times, I have got in their dressing room.

“Why? Because it is their space, but this space is for the players, and the captains must try to help the players, support the club message, manager’s message, inside with the players.

“How they are doing, during the process we are together here, John McGinn fantastic, Tyrone Mings fantastic. As well, we have other captains now, like (Boubacar) Kamara, (Emi) Buendía, they have experience, they know as well the dressing room, they know the players, they know the message.

“As well, Pau (Torres), (Matty) Cash, some players they are as well with us for three or four years, they are trying to help to cover and to set the demands we have as well in the dressing room.”

On turning form...

“Last year, we were in the same situation. We were, with different players, in different competitions because we were in Europa League and now in Champions League, and our objective is each match, each competition, and the challenge is to improve.

“The challenge is (to) set strong our standards, our demands, and the gap we have as a team collectively, or the gap we have individually – to get it, work hard and of course, support, recover, try to work individually and collectively with the players to get there.

“It’s a way. Of course, when we are winning, we are feeling better, and we are getting confidence. But there are a lot of things to work (on) as well, even when we are winning.

“We have won two matches in Champions League at home in Villa Park, really fantastic. But still matches to win in the Premier League.

“We lost two matches, against Arsenal and against Nottingham Forest, and we drew against Brentford. Against Brentford, we improved things, yes, but it was not enough.

“How we can as well analyse and understand the difficulties, because Brentford, they played (well), competing.

“And some players, new players, without experience in the Premier League, they are knowing it. Of course, we are trying to identify and tell them to adapt quick in those demands.

“The demands, we are setting our demands, yes, but the opponents as well, they are setting their demands. And in Premier League, to be in the top six is very difficult. Very, very difficult.

“To win one point is very difficult, and against Brentford was a very, very good example, how difficult is the Premier League.”

Watch Emery's full pre-match press conference via VillaTV now, by clicking below...