Emery looks ahead to Fulham encounter

Unai Emery met with the media on Friday afternoon, to look ahead to Aston Villa’s Premier League meeting with Fulham.

The Villans take on the Cottagers at Villa Park on Saturday (ko 8pm), looking to secure a third successive league win.

And the Villa boss sat down for his pre-match media briefing at Bodymoor Heath, discussing his side’s Halloween opponents, squad depth, Nicolas Jackson’s form and more.

Here are the key lines from Friday’s press conference. 

On Fulham...

“They are playing really well. They are competing fantastic (in) the last matches, even losing against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup. In the league, they are really fantastic.

“Of course, (Álvaro) Arbeloa, he has experience in England. He played here, he has experience in football for a long time. He had very good coaches.

“Now, how they are playing, is really like a coach with experience and a coach managing tactically a lot of things.”

On Nicolas Jackson...

“He’s showing us, and I knew him like that, being very, very professional, focusing football as a priority in his life.

“He has this commitment with football himself, to try to get his responsibility as high as possible, to try to get his best with the team here, with Aston Villa.

“I am happy, but as well, I know he has a lot of work to do as well, to try to get better, to try to be consistent.

“He needed some adaptation at the beginning, but he’s still needing some adaptation to do with us, and keep going forward.”

On squad depth and handling a busy period...

“The only focus is tomorrow, the match tomorrow. But, of course, how we are doing our way at the beginning of the season, even in the pre-season, everything has a plan, and the plan is try to play focusing each match, each competition, with the players (who) are ready and available to play, with the objective to have as well, some players (who) need confidence, time, adapting us, time to get fit, time after some injuries.

“So, how we are building the team is a process, and the process is going, but each match is the objective.

“If I am thinking, if we are thinking, after the match tomorrow against Fulham, we are making a mistake, and we are wrong, completely wrong.

“So, tomorrow, Fulham, prioritising Premier League clearly, and this is the message, because to keep our consistency, to keep our demands and work every day to get these demands to keep, to get this commitment to keep our consistency like we did the last year, each match is a test.

“In Premier League, we are (in a) lack of points. Of course, we are progressing, we are getting better, but if we want to be consistent like the last year and (in) the top positions, we must focus tomorrow (on) the match, prioritising 100% and focusing, respecting them, preparing the game, playing so, so focused and intense the match requires, and respecting them.”

On Leon Goretzka...

“He started being available two weeks ago, and progressively playing minutes, understanding our tactical idea, adapting of us, and we are adapting as well to him, because his quality is clear.

“His capacity to help us with his experience, we’ll see it, but we believe. He played in the starting 11 on Wednesday, one step forward for him to get better, to understand us better, and being ready and better for the next matches.”

On whether Villa can challenge the 'Big 6'...

“It depends. We showed it the last years we were, but this year, until now, not.

“Of course, other teams, they are not being consistent, they are not being in front of us yet, like Tottenham and Manchester United.

“So, we must focus our own way, and of course, our objective is clear: try to be in front of those contenders still to be in the top six, and adding as well there, Newcastle.

“But there are other teams every year, not as a surprise, because every year they are as well performing very well, like Brighton, like Bournemouth, like Nottingham Forest – not exactly this year, but they were being fantastic as well – Brentford.

“I think the Premier League is very, very difficult because there are a lot of teams, not in the contender positions at the beginning of the season to be in the top positions, but every year, they are always fighting with the teams who should be there.

“We are one of the teams, and last year, we achieved it. So, this is the target. This is, as well, the process. We want to try to get consistency, but each year is a test.

“And now, in the day nine, we are going to play tomorrow. Our test is Fulham, because they have 8 points, we have 11 points.

“Fulham as well, the last year, they were being consistent in the in the table, in the medium positions, but always fighting to be close with the top seven, top six teams.”

On Taylor Harwood-Bellis...

“Very good. Taylor is a fantastic guy, very professional. He knows how he has to progress with us, understanding everything every day, practising, then playing matches like he’s playing – friendly matches, or two matches in Carabao Cup, Coventry and on Wednesday against Bournemouth, he played a good match.

“I like how he is focusing his progression and practising every day, because he knows now, he has to prioritise practising every day to show his progress, and he is doing it.”

Click below now to watch Emery's full pre-match press conference via VillaTV...