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"Tomorrow we play against Newcastle and that is more important than the transfer window and my focus is completely on tomorrow for Newcastle. Of course, the club are working.

"Some players could leave and maybe we can add, but it is difficult to add one or two players. But my focus is on tomorrow, what do you want to know?

"Jacob Ramsey is a very important player. He grew up in the academy and his progression is getting better.
"His level is increasing a lot and I want to keep him here with us. Of course, there are movements (speculation) around him.

"Maybe there are teams involved in the possibility to sign him because he has a big, big potential at Villa and in England. I want to keep him here, 100 per cent.

"I don’t want to move the main players we have now in the squad.

“We started speaking about the transfer window in January and I told you that my exceptions are not really, really high because it is difficult.

“To change things is difficult because other teams want to do the same. There are not many players in good moments which can be signed, who can give us something really, really relevant.

“[The last match against Newcastle] was tough, it was tough in the match. We can remember that it was the moment which Tyrone Mings had his injury and that was a difficult moment.

"We were with some circumstances, really bad. But we analysed and worked after that match trying to analyse so we can improve and I think now, it is completely different.

“Of course, we respect Newcastle and they are without some injured players and have had the Champions League to share with the Premier League. The demands are very high and with some circumstances like that, they are not being like that when they had an amazing season. This year is different but my respect has not changed.

“We lost there but it is completely different and we are ready for tomorrow.

“It was completely different how we played those minutes and moments in the game. When we drew level we played well and we started to be worse after the injury of Mings.

“We lost 5-1 and always losing a result like that it is difficult to explain that it was unlucky. They were better than us but we had a lot of circumstances. Progressively, we have improved and we have tried to understand our bad moments.

“I think now we are very motivated and very excited. The last match we played at Villa Park was the 30th of December. We are going to play against tomorrow, the 30th of January. I am very excited and my motivation is very high.

"Every team when they play away, they find it more difficult, even for Man City and Liverpool and for us, even for Tottenham and Newcastle. It is difficult the league, and every team who plays at home they will feel strong trying to play showing their best performances.

“Every team struggles away from home and Newcastle is the same, but it’s no different to others. Tomorrow we must use our power at home and we must be strong in our game plan.

“Tomorrow I think they will feel stronger than they were because they beat Fulham away. They will feel more confidence than before. The starting XI is more or less the same and is a strong team. Isak and Gordon, the back four too, they are going to play their main players and I respect them a lot.

“I expect a match like every match when we have the ball trying to impose with our game plan. We have to be careful as well from set-pieces, corners and free-kicks because they have specialist players from set-pieces.

“We have to control everything and play organised, as well as being strong in the duels. I think it is a really exciting match trying to face them how we can show our best level.

“We must try to feel conferrable on the pitch and transmit our full energy to the supporters.”

Unai Emery pre-match.



“First, congratulations to Newcastle and they played tonight being successful in their performances. First half we did not control the game like we wanted. Obviously at the beginning was because they were playing well and we had to assess. In the second half we got the goal and had chances then to be close to score the second goal but we have to assess the match. I spoke with the players and told them I am very proud of them after a lot of matches we are successful here. One loss has to come and it was today. We have not lost our perspective. The message is to keep going ahead and try and find comfort in the work that we are doing overall.

"I told the players I am proud of them and our supporters, as well as our work at Villa Park. The loss has to come like tonight, it is going to be one day. Tonight it came but the way we did it was fantastic. The perspective we have can be lost and the perspective is that against a team like Newcastle, it is not easy to win.

"It is not frustrating because we know that they won last week in two set-pieces at Fulham. They are strong. We were more or less not controlling the game like we wanted and they were threatening in behind, getting in our box and getting corners. After it they scored two goals. Again, we are frustrated, little bit disappointed, but in our perspective we are happy. We have 43 points. We are going to work and try to keep the distance that we have now and then focus on Saturday.

"We are now on day 22 and we are in the top five, but we know there are other teams who are bigger contenders than us to get there and one of them is Newcastle, one of them is Chelsea, there is Manchester United. Other teams too like West Ham and Brighton. We are being consistent, but we lost tonight and we are a little bit disappointed and a little bit frustrated.

"We are not happy tonight with this result, but I have to try and understand now our perspective and the way we have done it. I prepared it a long time before, to tell the players that I am very proud of them and I prepared that a long time before and today is that day.

“It is a little frustrating. I told the players I feel like tonight had to come one way. Today we have to accept because they deserve it. The first 60 minutes, they were better. We couldn't take chances to draw but we have to accept and remind the players everything we did here was perfect. We then have to correct what we did here.

"Newcastle's power is in the set pieces and they won at Fulham this way on Saturday. We conceded more corners than usual at home and that is the first way to concede a goal from a corner.

“"They played like last year here, when we won 3-0. We were successful last year in the duels more than tonight. They were pressing high and pushing us man-to-man and tonight it was difficult for us to overcome individual situations with their players.

"We created in the first half two or three chances to score but we were not clinical. We conceded more than normal. We conceded chances, corners, set-pieces and we know their power is set-pieces. They won the last match against Fulham with two corners and they scored against us two corners.

"We tried to stop them firstly not conceding a lot of chances from corners, but they did it and getting there it could happen some goals like we conceded. Our plan was different but they imposed in their game plan and positioning. Our reaction was a little bit late.

“We have to be demanding that we can improve. We have to react tactically. I am very proud of the players. We are more or less fifth in the table. Overall, we are happy and feeling comfortable.

"I don't want to lose our perspective. If we are winning and winning and winning and winning then it is better! We could finish even winning the Premier League but when people spoke about that it is very, very difficult.

"We are facing seven teams who are stronger than us and who are better than us overall in everything. We have our process and that is to try to get last year to get top ten. We got a European position and we started this year losing 5-1 to Newcastle and then 3-0 to Liverpool, two teams contenders for top seven.

"Liverpool is still there and Newcastle are behind us even winning against us. We respect them a lot and our idea it to try and be consistent. I told you before that when we get to day 32, 33, 34, where we will be, maybe we can speak about different objectives. This is our perspective.

“Leon Bailey had a problem with his back and was not 100% at Chelsea. I decided to play with the starting XI we did in Chelsea. He played very good. I try to be consistent with every player and to give them confidence.

“He came last week with some problems with his back. He was not available to play against Chelsea and he played the last ten minutes. I decided to start the same players tonight. Bailey is playing, being in the starting eleven, sometimes successful, sometimes less.

"Tonight was very important and we spoke about the players who started and the players who could make an impact to help the team. It was a little bit late because we conceded three goals.

“[Jacob Ramsey] was getting better. He is not being consistent with some injuries he had but of course, I am optimistic trying to get his best performances from here to the end of the season. I think in the second half of the season he will be very important on the pitch for us.

"Hopefully he can feel comfortable playing matches in a row and getting his good fit and performances playing.

“[Youri Tielemans] must play to connect in the middle, to connect with the players running behind. He is a very good and experienced player. His qualities are to play in combination and connection. His adaptation is being fantastic. He had an injury which stopped his progression and now again going well. Hopefully we can get off him his best performances in our style.

“[Morgan Rogers] is a young player with potential. He can adapt off our style to play and hopefully tomorrow he will sign for us and he can start working and we can try to exploit his potential as a player. He can start his new chapter here. We are motivated and excited to work with him and hopefully he can progress here like we think he will do."

Unai Emery, post-match.



“I couldn't tell exactly why it was missing tonight. They are a brilliant team. They play good football and have a brilliant structure. They were on it from the first moment and made us work a lot. Scoring two goals early gave us a lot of pressure to come back from. They played better than us and they deserved to be two goals up. But in the second half, being Aston Villa, there were hopes of getting an early goal and they got it.

"They have big players and are very good set-pieces. We tried to work on our set-pieces but we didn't get it right today. We have to accept that and move on.

"I wouldn't say the level has dropped. This is football. You have City who win games back to back and Arsenal and teams like that and you have times where things don't go your way and the other team is better than you on the day. We just have to bounce back and focus on the games coming up to turn things round. We have to accept the loss and bounce back."

"It's difficult, coming from 3-0 down. Coming from the bench is difficult, and I just wanted to give my best and try to push the team forward and get some momentum in the attacking third. I am happy for Ollie to get his 50th goal. He has been very important for us and hopefully he can score many, many more goals for Aston Villa."

Leon Bailey.