Unai Emery on Aston Villa 2-0 Bologna
21/10/2024
uefa24
Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
21/10/2024
uefa24
Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Good evening, Una. What pleased you most about that win?
00:20Good evening. I am delighted how we are facing in this competition each match, playing disciplined, serious.
00:35I think the experience we had last year in the Conference League was a perfect way we did, helping this year.
00:45Because we can remember, against Trischke here, we won 1-0 the last minute, against Assetto Alma and Leja Barsagua.
00:57We came back the result after 1-0 loss in the second half. Those experiences were fantastic.
01:05Of course, the Champions League is more difficult, but we are respecting the opponent, respecting the competition, playing mature and responsible.
01:16That is one thing inside I am always repeating. Our strength is the group. They are coming back.
01:25Some players were injured. Today it was very good news. Kamara is coming back, Emiliano Buendia did, Tyrone Mackie is coming.
01:36I am pleased because we are enjoying here with our supporters as well.
01:44It is three games now, three clean sheets. You also top the table. Of course, more games tomorrow.
01:50Are you surprised at all by how well the players have adapted to this step-up?
01:55Of course, it is brilliant. Our start in this competition, young boys, by morning at home and today we kept the same mentality.
02:10It is important for the group to keep the same mentality, respecting the opponent, young boys, respecting Bayern Munich, respecting Bologna.
02:18Then playing, trying to impose our game plan, our positioning, our idea.
02:22I think today, against one team, they are not getting the points they deserve, but they are always playing, being so tight in the result.
02:35Today, more or less, but we created more chances than they usually create in the open than against them.
02:41I think my summary of the match today is that we played with discipline, we played serious, we played mature and we won because we deserved it.
02:54Unai, Bologna went man for man when Villa were building from deep. What did you try and do to counteract that?
03:01Yes, we prepared the match trying to avoid the man-to-man, trying to play, imposing, stopping them and then getting our position on the field.
03:22We did more or less, but 50% was the duels on the field. Sometimes they were winning, but more or less we won more duels individually and we could get an attacking third with a very good position to threat them and we got the chances after it.
03:46It was the game plan, but teams like them, sometimes for us it's been very difficult. We must improve always and every match we are playing is an experience we can have for the next matches because there are a lot of teams, even in England as well, in the Premier League, playing like that.
04:07Today was a very good experience for us to try and analyse deeply and how we can face matches like today.
04:18Unai, top of the league, it might only be for one night, but does that change the aim in the Champions League now? Should the aim now be to finish in the top eight rather than just the top 24 and can the fans dream even bigger than that?
04:33We are going to focus on each match and how we are in the moment. We are arriving with the position on the table.
04:48Of course, we won the first match away against Young Boys. We played a game in which we were speaking about the objective to try to get the next round, but even winning, in case we were speaking about a game in which we couldn't get another objective, to be in the top eight, today was a challenge again.
05:12The opportunity, if we were thinking about those three points, we got those points. Of course, we are going to try to focus on the next match against Bruges and in case we are keeping the same performance we are getting and getting points through it, of course, we can change our objective and to be in the top eight.
05:43I want to feel it's something like a natural way we are doing and not a surprise because if we are playing in our good performances, we can be there. Of course, they are another team's contender, a favourite to get top eight, but we are being consistent and we are getting points and we are, of course, feeling comfortable.
06:02Unai, you made four changes today. I just wondered how you felt about the performances of the four players who came in.
06:10We struggled on August, September. We thought some players were coming back not fit or injured and we got points, but we were thinking of a better moment with the players available to play like today or Saturday we did in Fulham.
06:36Now is a good moment as well to try to be intelligent, doing some changes, but thinking is the best thing for each moment. I did it today after our win in Fulham because it was a very, very good moment to do it.
06:58The response of the players was fantastic. The players were fantastic in the starting line-up, like Madsen, he played a fantastic match, as well as John McGinn after his injury. He played well. John Durant scored his goal and another was Alconso. Alconso is usually his player.
07:20Then, when we needed another good leg or fresh legs in the second half, we did it with Jaco Rancic, with Watkins, with Jadon, with Ross. I think this is the way and, of course, today, Kamara's back was perfect to try to have with Newell and, of course, another player can help us with his quality.
07:47Unai, three Champions League games, three clean sheets. That must be very satisfying for you.
07:52Yes, most of all for Emiliano MartĂnez. He's very happy. He's pushing a lot for a clean sheeted match. But, really, I think this is the consequences. The consequences, we are playing seriously, we are playing, being organised and being disciplined tactically as well. In our stone structure, we have to try to get always.
08:15Unai, obviously a great goal from John again. What did you make of his performance but also his reaction to being substituted?
08:22Fantastic. Fantastic. It was his first starting eleven match this year and he played different moments and, of course, it's always more difficult when you are starting a match and every player is full of energy or they are fresh.
08:38But he worked very well and he scored the goal when he was watching maybe his change. He accelerated to score a goal and, of course, for us and for him, it was fantastic.
08:50I think now it's good to try to manage the striker, play individually, play in both because we did and we will do it, sure, sometimes. When they are getting their performance like today, John Duran and before the match he played and Watkins as well, I think it's the best for the team.
09:18Do you have any issue with how he reacted to coming on?
09:21No, no. Of course, I am managing everything and the reaction of the players as well.
09:30But everything, we are sending the message in the dressing room, respect our values and try to be mature and responsible.
09:47Sometimes, someone, because it's not only John Duran, before as well, some players, sometimes they are reacting a little bit. It's under our control and, of course, it's not relevant.