**What is the injury news, Unai?**

“We are going to train now on the field and we will see how the players arrive today. Yesterday we worked, and at the beginning, the players who were available for Wednesday will be available.

“Leon Bailey is progressing and getting better. Maybe he could work with the group today. If he is not able to play tomorrow then hopefully he will be available for Tuesday.”

**This is such an exciting period, but will you have time to enjoy it?**

"So focused. So focused. We are meeting a lot here with the press conference because we are playing a lot of matches.

"My message is the same. We are enjoying it, now in this period we are enjoying playing in the Champions League and we are as well in the semi-final in two weeks in London. But the Premier League is the most important.

"Our expectation and our objective during the season is the same at the beginning. We are sending the message and then it depends how we are going in all the process we are doing in this season.

"Now is the moment, we are in the matchday 32 tomorrow, so there are still seven matches to play and we have to focus on the Premier League as the most important competition. We won the last three matches getting nine points and if we can start again, repeating before the match we played against Brentford.

"We were in risk in that moment not to have the opportunity like we are now to try to face the Premier League as well with our ambition at the beginning of the season to repeat again to play in the top five position.

"We are enjoying and we are being very focused in the Champions League, we are very focused in the FA Cup. But we have to be prioritising the Premier League."

**Is it difficult to play in the Premier League after such a high profile game in Europe?**

"I want players focusing like I am focusing on each match in the Premier League. And it's not an excuse. Of course, we can remember how we were playing sometimes in the middle of the Champions League matches. We weren’t working well, we weren’t achieving our objective. But now it's not an excuse.

"If we are not performing well tomorrow, we are at risk. My message here, my message for the supporters, for our objective and with my responsibility to set the objective clearly, tomorrow is the most important match we are playing now."

**Southampton are already relegated - does that make it easier or tougher for you?**

"I have one friend in football, he is always telling me, ‘yes you can play against every team, the winners, the losing teams, but even the losing teams, they are not going to lose every match’. If you are not ready, you can't lose any game."

**Do you have a points total you think you’ll need to reach the top five?**

"No, I don’t know. We have to win tomorrow. If we were winning three matches before in the Premier League, today we were speaking, maybe, we would not have the opportunity to achieve again to be in a European position.

"Our objective is to get Europe, but we are dreaming of repeating the Champions League. And it is our highest ambition we are setting to play in the Champions League. Now we are there because we are performing the last matches at the last demand we are trying to set collectively and individually.

"If we are using some excuses because we are playing matches or we don't have some players, we are wrong."

**The club has come such a long way - how have you changed the mentality?**

"I am here because I was successful. If I was not being successful in my career as a coach and demanding like I am and was, I would not be here.

"They chose me, the owners, because I was a coach more or less in my career, always getting my objective through the clubs.

"Of course, not always. Coming here is because they wanted to try to get the same, to be ambitious, to work hard, to increase our demands, to increase our objectives during the process we are in.

"If I am not getting it [being demanding], I am going to lose my reputation, I am going to lose my position as a coach in football and maybe I will get sacked again."

Unai Emery, pre-match.




"Now some of them are making faces when they are not playing.

“But I prefer it. I prefer them making faces at me when they are not playing because they are not happy, than not having players to select or to choose between to play one match.

"And this is the level we are achieving now. Because two years ago it was not necessary to have two players for each position. We were only 12, 13, 14 players.

"And the other players on the bench were not playing. Only playing 11 players and more or less two more. And we were getting our objective. It was enough like that.

"But now, last year, we did not achieve because we did not have enough players to play. For injuries or different circumstances. And this year, the first part of the season, we had more or less the same troubles. We were not enough players.

"Or we were not fit players or we could not use every player facing the level we were demanding. And now, I think we are getting it. But of course, tomorrow, 11 players in the starting 11 and the other players on the bench. They can be angry but ready to play.

"This is the mentality. The mentality is to have enough players to get to the level we want. One of the problems we had before as well is when someone is not, for different circumstances, ready to play.

"Because he is angry or he is not focusing because he is not getting to the level we want. And the process we have and we are here trying to develop and to set this.

"To be demanding and to be as well with enough players to get it. And two players for one position when you are playing only one match a week. Sometimes it is not necessary.

"But when you are playing like now, we are playing and involved in Europe. We are involved in the Premier League and we are involved in the FA Cup semi-final. It makes sense.

“It is important to get balance defensively and offensively. His potential to adapt to our structure, with his skills and his pace, his capacity to threaten the opponent, where he is starting in our structure and then in the transition ... It is a very important position.

“He is feeling comfortable on the left side, more higher than lower. He is not 100 per cent a striker or 100 per cent a winger, it is a mix. In our structure, we are needing him more to play closer as a striker.”

“I am explaining here our demands, our capacity to get stronger in our structure with two players for position.

“Some players were playing here in a row in the starting XI always and succeeding, being more or less always getting our objective and our demands. But we are adding players and more competitive in each position for the players.

“To have McGinn in the bench now is a possibility. To have Ramsey in the bench now is a possibility. To have Watkins in the bench now is a possibility.

“Of course, they are very important players. But the players have to understand it is not only to be very important players being always in the starting XI. Sometimes we are winning matches and the sample we have now is clear.

“A lot of matches we played the last two months we needed the substitute players impacting like they did and helping us to win. And three, four, five, six months ago sometimes we couldn't get it.

“Now we have Pau and Tyrone Mings, we have Disasi and Konsa, we have Cash and Andres, we have Maatsen and Lucas, we have Tielemans and Barkley, we have Onana and Kamara. I want to remember it how he helped us a lot, Bogarde, playing matches as well.”

Unai Emery, pre-match.



"They (Southampton) had a lot of men behind the ball in the first half and it was difficult to break down. It was about being patient and once we got that first one the chances started coming more frequently..

“[Unai Emery said] Just to go on as a sub to bring energy and make a difference when you come on. All three of us did that - we all scored! - but it's about the three points."

"I think that's a very important goal for a start. Like I said a lot of teams battling for a top four finish but sometimes you need that bit of luck and a bit of magic. It was nice to see that one go in and that's one of my favourites to be honest."

Ollie Watkins, post match.



"We respect them (Southampton). The first half we didn't concede transitions. We were dominating but we didn't have many chances to score. The second half the gameplan was the same and with the fast players we can add to try and push more and more and we did. It was a fantastic 90 minutes. The subs had a very good impact.

"We had some moments in this season without players that were injured and we didn't have consistent 90 minute performances because we didn't have the players. Of course we strengthen in January with four players and the consequence is it makes us more competitive.

"From day one to day 38 the Premier League gives us our first target. For Europe you get in via your Premier League position. We try to focus on our gameplan and to play with our skills. Of course now we focus on the match against Paris St-Germain. We will try to recover the players today. I am enjoying the way we are doing in the Champions League."

Unai Emery, post match.