What Unai Said: Emery After Villa’s Champions League Win at Club Brugge
Aston Villa opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 win away at Club Brugge, a result that eased some of the pressure built up by a losses against Brighton and Arsenal, and a goalless draw at Hull City in the Premier League. The win also takes Unai Emery to the highest win percentage of any manager with ten or more Champions League games in charge of an English side, at 69%. He spoke afterwards on the message he gave his forwards before the game, Nicolas Jackson’s movement, a stubborn Brugge side, and what the result means for the rebuild.
“They need to keep our standards high to show everybody this is the way, that we can achieve the process in our targets.”
– Unai Emery on the Villa players
On demanding more goals before Brugge
“[The day before the game] we were training and we were being demanding, playing a small match. Even then we had a lack of goals. Please, each one [player] be demanding to score in the small goals in training. Show your wishes to score goals.”
On Nicolas Jackson’s role
“Nicolas Jackson – very important [goal] for him.
“We lacked runs in behind against Hull, but today we did it more. Jackson is a striker who likes to drop and he needs someone running. We were pushing in the last training session for him to be the last man running in behind.”
On a stubborn Brugge side
“We always prepare to win and adapt to [the opponents], trying to impose our positioning and win duels. We had a fantastic first half.
“We had so many chances to get more of an advantage. The second half was a bit more equal.
“When we were two goals ahead the confidence was very good, but Brugge scored and we could feel a little bit less confidence than we had in the first half. But we finished well, controlling the game like we planned.
“Playing away in Europe is very difficult. They were working with the supporters, who were very excited. They wanted to win. We have a lot of experience playing matches like that, sometimes winning, sometimes losing. This is the balance we try to speak about before the match – to be aware and ready for everything.”
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On the Villa rebuild trajectory
“I am so happy today. Thankfully, because we know how we are in the way. What the responsibility we have and I have. But the players as well they have responsibility.
“They need to keep our standards high to show everybody this is the way, that we can achieve the process in our targets and, of course, we are improving after Brighton, after Arsenal, after Hull City. Today another step forward.
“Of course, very important for this Champions League to start with those three points. Hopefully, it gives us confidence for the next matches in the league. Saturday Nottingham Forest, then Carabao Cup, then Tottenham.”
Listen to the Post-Mortem Show on Brugge win
On the squad’s collective effort
“All the players were giving to the team: John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía, Pau [Torres], Victor Lindelöf, and the young players as well like [George] Hemmings, who is new and progressively getting better and understanding everything we demand. So are Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Ian Maatsen, Boubacar Kamara. We must try to reach our highest standard, like we have in recent years with the new players understanding the way.”
“Again, a good match played Hemmings, again he is improving. We must try to add more players, new players in this structure, this demand and this process we are.”
UTV
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I would like to see both Mbaye and Manzambi starting, we haven’t seen them so we have no idea what they can offer