Unai Emery reaction to Villa's smash and grab 1-0 Bayern Munich win
02/10/2024
uefa24
Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
02/10/2024
uefa24
Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Even by some of the standards of the great European nights and matches that you've experienced,
00:20where does that sit?
00:25Good evening. Europe always is something very, very special. But Europe in conference, European
00:34League, and of course, Champions League. And in Champions League you are playing against
00:40the best team in the world. And when we are facing now, with Aston Villa, matches like
00:49tonight, before the match, for me, it was not the most important to win. It was how
00:57we could compete and be competing more or less close or far of them. And we compete
01:08very well. We needed to compete defensively more than normal. We needed to get some duels
01:19strongly and improving the last match we played, for example, with Konsa. Lucas always is doing.
01:27And we needed as well to get our opportunities to get the box in transition or maybe keep
01:35in ball possession and trying to progress with our structure tactically less than normal.
01:42And I can feel now proud of our work, proud of how we are here more or less getting better,
01:56increasing our level, increasing our demands. And our demands tonight was before the match
02:03to face them and try to be more or less competing with the possibilities to draw or to win.
02:11Or even if we were losing, like we lost against Arsenal three weeks ago, competing and playing
02:22with our style, playing personality. And at the end, you can win like today. We can win.
02:28We could lose as well. It depends on some save of Emiliano Martinez, some action individually
02:35like John Duran. But really, I am very, very proud of everything around Aston Villa.
02:44How confident were you that John Duran could go and do it again?
02:52He arrived here two years ago. He is young. His potential is a huge potential. But not
02:58now. Last year, he had the same potential. Sometimes impatient. Sometimes I need to speak
03:06with him as a person, firstly. Try to connect with him as a person. And then as well, as
03:14a player, try to let him to play and put him on the field because his talent is there and
03:23his capacity to help us and to improve himself, of course, playing.
03:30We have two very good strikers and really, for me, it's a new challenge to try to manage
03:35both, playing both and being both important for us and try to get of them the best performances.
03:43And sometimes they can play together and sometimes, like today, needed to use one player at the
03:50beginning and then add some work like he did today at the beginning, Watkins, and the
03:59last 20 minutes, John Duran. Thinking in 90 minutes, we need to be stronger with one striker
04:06only.
04:07It looked like there was quite a distinctive tactical approach. You went quite direct to
04:16Oli Watkins twice in the first half and then you did it again with John Duran. Had you
04:21seen something in Bayern that you could exploit?
04:25We had different ways in our game plan, but of course they were pressing us man to man
04:32in all the pitch and it was not easy to break their press. We did sometimes, but in another
04:43moment we needed to set the long ball directly to our strikers and try to get there man to
04:50man or maybe two by two, or even we were preparing the match sometimes four by four. But to get
05:01the long ball we did, it was not easy against fighter, defensive players they have and fighting
05:08like they fight usually Upamecano and Keane. But in our game plan there were different
05:16ways to try to get something in attack.
05:19Unai, it's two wins from two. It's a remarkable start to the campaign. Could you have dreamed
05:27of that? And you've given yourselves an amazing opportunity to qualify now, haven't you?
05:31Yes, our objective is clear, it's to try to get in the next round. And of course there
05:36are two ways. One, you are getting the first top eight, you are going direct. And it's
05:43not you have to play the next round before to get the round of 16. We are not refusing
05:51two ways. And of course the first one is try to get the next round. And in case we can
05:59compete for goal in the top eight, we are going to try to do it. The objective is clear,
06:08it's to get the next round. And the second objective, we are getting it. Like the matches
06:12we played today, getting some points necessary to be there. Of course we are going to try
06:19to get it.
06:21Unai, Emi Martinez said that you had spoken about Manuel Neuer's habit of coming off his
06:29line and playing as a sweeper-keeper. Was that part of your talk that you might try
06:34to lob him at some point?
06:36Can you repeat that? I didn't understand, sorry.
06:38Emi Martinez said that you had spoken before the game about Manuel Neuer playing very high
06:47out of his goal. Was it always a hope that there might be a chance to lob him?
06:53Yes, yes. This is the talent that they have, some players. And John Duran, we were used
06:58to speaking about it. When John Duran received the ball, he was scoring quick because in
07:06the analysis we did of them, we were speaking a lot about how is usually the position of
07:17Neuer, always high. And really, I just spoke with my coach-assist about how he should,
07:30because he had in his mind this possibility with Neuer.
07:35Unai, you've worked with a lot of strikers. Some of them have gone on to be some of the
07:42best in the world. What's the key to managing them when they don't always play to make sure
07:48that they stay happy, that they can always perform well? Because you seem to be doing
07:52it very well at the moment.
07:54Yes, for my management, with those strikers we have now, it's really my challenge, because
08:03I have to try to take good of them the best. But I am happy. This problem is a good problem
08:09for the team, because we have one striker like Joaquin, always working in the high level,
08:20and we are adding one player, young player, he's probably getting better, he's exploiting
08:26his talent, and he's close to play in the starting eleven. And of course, I am very,
08:33very happy for this situation, because we have points through those players, really
08:40they are very important in our achievement, and today was the example. It was very important
08:48the first work did Watkins, 70 minutes, and how added John Duran, different ways, fresh
08:58player, to score the goal, to win the match. And of course, they played together, and they
09:06will play together until today, not in the starting eleven, but of course I am thinking
09:12the possibility to play, when we can analyse in our game plan, to take this decision about
09:22to play with both.
09:25Unai, congratulations on the result. Two quick questions, if I may. First of all, you've
09:31experienced some big stadiums, atmospheres, big clubs in your time. How does tonight rank
09:38for you? How big was that tonight from the fans?
09:40Amazing, amazing. I am so, so happy the response we are having here with our supporters, and
09:49of course, we are trying to transmit our energy, our game plan, connecting with them, because
09:58if they are connecting with us, transmitting their energy to us on the field, I think here
10:03we can feel really strong. And we were, until January or February, we were winning here
10:1415 or 16 matches in a row here in Villapar. It was really, really amazing. And when we
10:23were achieving it, it was through our supporters here in Villapar. Without them, it was impossible
10:29to get it. And again, we lost against Arsenal, but we played, I think, very well, and it
10:36was the way I wanted to continue building. And the last three matches, more or less,
10:43with some problems as well, against Everton and today against Bayern Munich, but we are
10:48feeling here strong, and we are feeling here comfortable, and we are connecting with our
10:54supporters here, and I think they are very important. And tonight, of course, how they
10:59enjoyed with us was fantastic.
11:00And just quickly, when John Duran is going through, and Neuer is where he is, could you
11:08see what was going to unfold? Did you think that John Duran was going to shoot from there?
11:14He scored one goal, more or less something similar, a little bit different. Last year,
11:21against Ibernia, Pau Torres passed him behind, one pass more or less similar. In that moment,
11:28he dribbled the goalkeeper and scored. Today, he shoots before dribbling. I think the talent
11:33of the players and the protagonists, they are the players on the field, each one with
11:38their quality. John Duran, Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Jadon, Ross Barkley, everybody.
11:47We are here only trying to support them, to get comfortable in their position, each one,
11:54and try to support and try to take a better style of play for them and for their qualities.
12:05Thanks, everybody.
12:06Okay, thank you so much. See you on Sunday.