“It is not easy to understand that in February we must play four matches in the next 10 days and five in 13 days if we count the Cardiff City matches in the FA Cup. This is less than 2.5 days of average rest gap between matches.

“When we thought we earned the right on the pitch to have two weeks with no midweek games, suddenly and with short notice the authorities advanced the Liverpool match. A match that could be perfectly pushed back in the season.

“We officially asked, but again we didn’t find any positive outcome. As an extra example of the lack of empathy, our Chelsea game on the 22nd, someone had the idea that it would be good to make us play on Tuesday the 25th vs Crystal Palace, instead of Wednesday the 26th.

“Surely, we are not the only ones to feel this unfair schedule and we are also aware that to fit in the matches with the extremely crowded international schedule is not easy, but common sense says that this schedule can be much more balanced and rational.

“As every other country is doing to protect their teams, the Premier League and FA must, for once, take care of us. By “us” I mean all the English teams who play in Europe as ambassadors of English football in international competition.

“I know people in charge are not concerned by our complaints, but they must not forget the players are human beings, and they need some rest and a rational schedule. There is nobody that can face with energy and safety, four matches in 10 days.

“Bad for the players, also not good to have the best show. After this reflection - probably useless - as no one from the Premier League or FA will read it or consider it - we must be very aware of the difficult match we are facing today.”

Unai Emery on the fixture pile up not being helped by Premier League intransigence.


“We will see it. Of course, always we are trying to get better and every decision we are doing in our process here is trying to get better, trying to be demanding in our objective. Of course, if we are being demanding in our objective, we have to work hard.

“I think everything we are doing here, everything we are working, everything we are doing step by step our objective facing, I think we have to be optimistic. The players at the beginning [of] the project we had and the players joining us in the process, I think they are showing as well the capacity to get our objective together, and how we are performing.

“The last players that arrived here are with the same idea. Of course, each one, they have their career, their prestige as well, but here, the challenge is now. The challenge for the players we joined last month, of course, they are very good players.

"The challenge we have with them and the challenge they have individually as well with us is a high, high challenge. I am very excited, they are working very well. I think the first match we played together last week against Tottenham at home, at Villa Park with our supporters, was a very exciting moment we shared there.

“Tomorrow is again a very good opportunity for the team, for the players, for the supporters, how we can face tomorrow a Premier League match with the players we have and with the idea, style we want to try to get, performing of course but as well trying to transmit something. Tomorrow in Villa Park is a really exciting match.”

“When you can feel you are stronger is when you can have some players in the bench really with the performance we are expecting of them to be ready to play.

“We are facing different competitions, and the difficulties we will face for the next month in those three competitions we are in now, it’s really necessary to have players not injured and to have players as well on the bench being ready to substitute other players and being good impact.

“This year, the idea is [to] try to learn about the last two years we were here, how we can get again stronger the second part of the season, with Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

“We needed to join some players like we did. Of course we are very motivated with the players we have as well because they are as well feeling comfortable with the players we joined helping us.

“Now, is be competitive, individually, collectively, try to be ready to help the team, playing 90 minutes, playing 70 minutes and sometimes playing even 5, 10, 15 minutes. It’s very important, how we can feel stronger.

"Firstly with Marco, I spoke to him about the possibility of playing as a number 10 because he is versatile.

”He can play getting wider and going inside, going in behind. These are the possibilities I have with him.

"The challenge is how to get him playing his best football within our structure. Here my idea is always to play with one No 10. I've done it throughout my career and these were my tactics before. Morgan can also play very well as a No 10 but he is also very effective when he gets wide on the left side or right side.

"He can even play as a striker because he is intelligent and he has many qualities. He has the capacity to be strong defensively and offensively in our structure.

"He is maybe the most versatile player in our squad. More a versatile player - maybe like John McGinn - although McGinn is maybe more of a midfield player than an offensive player. Morgan is more of an offensive player than a midfield player. But they are the most versatile players I have and they can perform very well in different positions."

Unai Emery pre match


“Monchi and Damian (Vidagany) kept reiterating that it’s coming from the manager and he’s desperate to sign you, he’s seen something in you.

“That feeling, there’s nothing better than feeling wanted. From moment one, as hard as he is on me, I feel it because he does the extra to want me to improve, to want me to get better because he sees something in me and wants me to shine.

“We speak all the time about the next challenges. The better I play the worse it gets in terms of the more I’ve got to do to keep going.

“There aren’t many people like that. There are managers that will get on you and then when they see you doing well they’ll move on to the next person, but he’s so demanding.”

Morgan Rogers on Unai Emery.


**Unai, what are your thoughts after the draw?**

"The first half we didn’t control the game like we usually want to do because they went man to man and were aggressive in the press. We were trying to control the game when they were fighting. It was a very equal game, but we had a good chance through Watkins.

"They didn’t have many good chances but they were getting to our box and after the sending off, the match changed completely. After this situation, we created more and made chances. They scored a fantastic goal, making our comeback more difficult.

"After the equaliser, we had chances to score, but their goalkeeper saved some actions. We have to accept it, how they were performing.

"They avoided our chances to score and we had a lot of corners too. This point is not enough for us, but we have to move forward thinking how we can improve and get better to reduce the gap to the teams in front of us."

**What was the reason for the changes at half-time?**

"It was tactical."

**What was Rashford’s role compared to Ramsey’s?**

"It was different. It was a tactical decision."

**Why did Kamara come off in the first half?**

"I don't know now but I think it is not a lot."

**How is Leon Bailey?**

"He had a small pain and I think it is not a very important injury. Hopefully he will be ready for the next matches."

**What did you make of Rashford?**

"He was getting better and feeling comfortable as well. He will help us for the next matches. Today he played 45 minutes and 35 minutes for Asensio as well. Progressively they are getting fitter and they will have opportunities to help us."

**How well did their goalkeeper Palmer play?**

"They did a very good action and we conceded easily because we were in control of the game and dominated. They did fantastic in the action which they scored. We reacted quickly and created chances. We scored one goal but it wasn’t enough."

**How good of a performance was that from Delap?**

"He is performing very well. He is a very competitive player and he is scoring goals."

Unai Emery faces some really dumb questions post match.