"We were successful for a long time in Villa Park and we want to continue to do that.

"We are going to adapt today for Chelsea. They press very well. They lost their last two matches and I think they have a very good coach and very good players.

"I think it is going to be a very tough match.

"I expect a good Chelsea.

We drew there but we struggled in the first half a lot. They were better than us. In the second half we imposed our idea and our game plan. We had chances to score and win but we didn’t deserve to win. I expect the best Chelsea because they got to the final in the Carabao Cup.

"This competition is very important because they are not in Europe. They have a good coach and they are improving a lot, they lost to Liverpool, but it can happen. Wolves played very well and beat them. My expectation is that they give their best performance.

"If you get in the next round, of course it's an opportunity.

“But if you lose the semi-final – you lose everything. [To go out in] the third round or the semi-final is the same. You are not getting a trophy.

"Before here as well we have some bonus because we are getting the ten, nine, eight positions. I don’t like. I want something. A trophy, playing in Europe. I need to feel something. FA Cup is a way yes, but only one team wins at the end. It is difficult. But we are going to face tomorrow focusing only this match.

"This is a reason the Premier League is most important. You are being consistent, you get a top position and maybe you can play in Europe. I [want to be] getting something – a trophy or to play Europe. Only one team is going to win the FA Cup and it's difficult.

"We have to be strong at home with our supporters. We have to impose well on the pitch, and with the atmosphere around the stadium.

"We have to focus. I don’t know where is the opportunity but you have to try and get opportunities and in the Premier League, it is 38 matches. 38 matches. 38 matches!

"You can make a mistake and you can react. In the FA Cup, it is the same, but it is only one opportunity. It’s tomorrow. One or the other? No, I prefer tomorrow. I prefer tomorrow.

"When we played Everton in the Carabao Cup it was the same. Only how we can manage the season. I have to try and manage the players and the moment and the competition when they are coming.

"We are in February and it is a great opportunity tomorrow. Very difficult, but great opportunity and it is only tomorrow. Then, after the match we can be happy or not. Then, we are going to face another competition.

"But there is now way we have this mentality in our mind, trying to select. I told at the start of the season, and it is the same now, what is the first objective? Premier League.

"Why? Because in 38 matches you have to be consistent. At the end, it is through the competition you can achieve your first objective, playing in Europe. Then, we have another objective of trying to win a trophy.

"I don’t know if it [tending to win after a defeat] is because we have improved our mentality. I am very demanding with it and hate to lose matches.

"I want the people to be angry when we are losing and working harder to recover again our win. We reacted very well last week, because our loss against Newcastle was very hard.

"It shows us that each match is very difficult, but it depends which team we have to respect more than normal. Newcastle showed they were better than us. Chelsea showed us that when we drew there, that they could be better than us.

"Tomorrow, they could against be better than us. We have to get our best performance and focus on the match, each one. Starting with me.

"Of course we can lose, but I don’t want surprises on the pitch like last week against Newcastle. Of course they could win, but I told the players it was my mistake, maybe I wasn’t 100 per cent like we were facing Newcastle last year when we won here. If we want to add another step ahead to increase our level, we have to do more than others."

Unai Emery, pre-match.


"The adaptation for some players is longer. Then we need to understand the adaptation, how each player can do it differently.

"Leon Bailey, he came from Germany and the first year he didn’t play being consistent and he had some injuries. When I arrived here I tried to set him as a second striker and for him to take the best characteristics.

"He was still in the adaptation when I arrived here and the adaptation is everything. More or less, at the end, we can watch him on the pitch and this year he didn’t start really being strong even and last year he was not consistent always. For example, the last two matches we played last season, key matches, he wasn’t in the starting XI.

"He consistently in the starting XI and I spoke with him this year when we started pre-season about how we could improve different issues and things he wasn’t showing us in a consistent way. His reaction was fantastic after the match we played against Newcastle and Liverpool.

"Against Liverpool he was on the bench and he came in after the minute 20 and I changed him in the minute 65 more or less. He went to the break with his national team and when he came back I was thinking every day of him about this change. It was not me trying to punish him or make him feel bad, it was tactically, but he can think it was a little bit hard for him for me to change him.

"I explained it to him. ‘No Leon, I want more. We need more of you. You have to be consistent and be consistent and focus more than you are doing because it is not enough’. His commitment has improved and his focus working every day harder has improved.

"His way here adding us his skills, scoring goals, assists, improves. We decided more or less one month ago to extend his contract. We had to be very demanding with the players and if they want to increase their level and their demands like the team is doing, then it has to change.

"We spoke to him, he is happy here, happy in Birmingham and Aston Villa. He is working progressively better. The idea is for him to extend the contract and we are close. I think he is going to sign."

Unai Emery on Leon Bailey.


"Firstly, congratulations to Chelsea, we competed well in both matches. We deserved to play a replay. We were excited and motivated and we started well, we didn't score but we were feeling good.

"When they were getting in our box we were not being strong and they were affecting us. They got into our box with some crosses and were clinical scoring goals.

"I was more or less feeling the difference was the clinical way for them. The second half plan was to be more strong. We lost more balls than normal.

"The reaction was fantastic after the third goal. We scored a little bit late and had no time to score the second goal. We have to accept and analyse the match. To beat them is not easy when you're not being clinical.

“Each situation individually has circumstances. I decided to keep the same players until the minute I changed because they need confidence and they need minutes together. The subs made a good impact, Ramsey I wanted to keep him because he is getting some injuries and isn’t 100 per cent playing.

"I decided to play him in the minutes he played. It's not relevant to the result, we could comeback with the players who were playing. I was thinking about the management of the players, thinking about not just the match today but the next matches.

“We lost more balls than normal. Sometimes the performance of the players can be better or worse, but I have to try to keep balance as well, giving them chances to recover even when they have not been performing good in the match. We are facing Chelsea and they are very good players. We have to assess, I know when we are facing Chelsea in the we are playing a contender in the competition and one to be in the top five position in the league.

“We are being consistent in our way and have to continue and build the team. There is still a lot of work to do. Against Chelsea we have to accept the defeat. We have to move on and on Sunday we have a very important game.

“We had an opportunity in the FA Cup. It’s not easy and we are trying to be consistent, to increase our level and be a contender in each competition. We are facing matches like tonight and have to understand we are in our process. Our process is try to be consistent and get some regularity in our way.

“My objective, we have to feel confidence and comfortable at home even when we are not getting a good result.”

Unai Emery post match.


"We competed and we started the first 15 minutes creating chances but we didn't score.”

Maybe it was the key moment. And then they created chances, were clinical, and they scored.

"In the second half we started trying to score one more, to push and create some chances. We did not do this very clear and they scored the third goal. After that are speed was very good and the mentality as well. Even when we were losing 3-0 we created chances. We have to accept it.

"Chelsea is a very good team, they can play like tonight and get these performances. Of course we are going to try again and focus on the Premier League. We are being consistent there. It is a new challenge, and going for the league as well, it is important to be a contender at the end of the season.

"It's not a surprise because Chelsea can perform like this. We competed, but not over 90 minutes, in some periods. We have to accept it and of course we have to try to analyse and improve things."

Unai Emery post match.