4-1

“Very difficult.

“They are a good team. They are playing fantastic football and are very competitive and getting a lot of duels. It is very difficult to try to dominate the match. It is very difficult to try to win those duels.

“This is our challenge tomorrow. I respect them a lot. I have massive respect of them. The coaches, the club and the players and the idea they have. They are strong.

“They have a strong structure in everything. They can play in combination, they can play long balls with second action, they can play so fast. They can play defensively so strong and low. They can play getting duels man-to-man all over the field.

“It is a huge challenge tomorrow to try to beat them. The level they have is similar to PSG or European teams. Of course they are not playing this year in Europe. But they are a team with this progress after the owners came in three years ago. I think this progress is really clear.

“Last year they were struggling playing in Europe. They were struggling with a lot of injuries. But this year they are playing consistently, with not a lot of injuries. The last match and how they are playing is ‘wow’.

“The Premier League is very difficult. The last time we played in the Premier League at home against Nottingham Forest was a very difficult match tactically, individually, mentality. This is the highest level in everything in the Premier League in football.

“When we are playing in the Champions League we are speaking in the dressing room. The level we are getting in the Champions League, we have in the Premier League. In a lot of matches, not only the top seven teams.

“This is the challenge and we can't stop. We can't rest a lot. We have to be ready for tomorrow. We are extending this week in the level we started playing. Southampton is different, a little bit different. But PSG, tomorrow Newcastle, Tuesday, Manchester City. Wow.

“Then Crystal Palace in the semi-final. But I love to play in this level and try to get my own challenges. Playing and showing our capacity to improve. This is the reason I am very demanding myself and I am very demanding of the people around me.”

Unai Emery, pre-match.



“On Saturday he played 60 minutes, then we played Watkins and we needed fresh legs as well.

“He was playing a fantastic match on Tuesday. A really fantastic match. I am as well so, so happy with him.

“Now when you were making some questions about those players, if they can play together. I answered maybe and I think they can play.

“But we need time to try to practice to get them playing and getting confidence together. And with the combination with other players as well, because we have to change more positions on the field if they are playing both. It is the next step. In case I have time, I want to do it."

Unai Emery on Marcus Rashford


“I explained to you here, we are increasing our level, we are adding more competition, we are adding more matches, we are hitting another level. Watkins is very, very important for us.

“He is scoring goals, last Saturday in Southampton we were in need and his impact was fantastic. He played scoring, winning a penalty.

“On Tuesday he played maybe in the most difficult moment for how he could get quick the reading of the match and try to show his power.

“But he worked, he is ready. I am so, so happy with him. So, so demanding with him and I want to win tomorrow.

“We can be sad not playing, or we can be angry. I prefer angry. I am speaking about every player. Now it is very important and again I can explain it to you, like with the players.

“Four months ago we were not achieving our objective of winning matches because we didn't have enough players. For injuries, not being fit, because maybe we weren't really 100 per cent. That was four months ago.

“I can again remind you of the points we lost at home and even we only lost one match against Arsenal on the first day of the season. But we drew a lot of matches, they are points.

“Tomorrow we are playing against Newcastle, who are five points in front of us. And this is the reason we have to be very, very competitive in everything.

“The club, the supporters even, helping and supporting the team. Of course myself with the coaches, the workers and the players.

“We are very demanding because if we want to try to keep the same level we are achieving, it is so, so difficult. And the mentality is to be ready, to be focused, to play 90 minutes, to play 60 minutes, to play 30 minutes.

“But especially with Ollie Watkins I am very happy. He was, in different moments of the season, being a player in the starting XI or being a player playing only 60 minutes when Jhon Duran was here.

“He was a substitute, with Jhon Duran playing in front of him. He is adapting again to the strongest structure we are trying to get. But not only for Ollie Watkins.

“As well, John McGinn, he was playing matches and matches and matches and he was not getting in all matches his best performances. Now he is on the bench and he is playing 20, 30 minutes.

“He played the last match on Tuesday for 60 minutes. He played a fantastic match for 60 minutes. But he was more or less so, so tired because he was playing in his best demand during the match. Then we needed to replace him.

“This is more or less my objective, and through it to get our best performances. But of course maybe we can play one match with XI players and play 90 minutes. It depends.

“But now I am trying to get the best of the players. Trying to be intelligent using them. Being with fresh players, fresh legs on the bench, ready to play as well with a good mentality.

Unai Emery on Ollie Watkins.




“Champions League, we have had to put in a lot of hard graft to get to that position.

"I played 20 minutes against PSG in both games. I am not going to lie, I was fuming that I wasn’t playing from the start - and I let him [Unai Emery] know that.

“He’s the manager, at the end of the day, and you have to respect his decision. But I am not one of those players who are happy to sit on the bench. It’s something I have not experienced before, to miss out on the biggest stage.

“I think me and a few others were disappointed that we didn’t start the game, but it is the manager's decision.

“The team played well, but I wanted to be out on the pitch for much longer. I have played a big part to get to where we are today and I want to play in those games.

“Nobody is happy to sit on the bench. You always want to play in the starting line-up, so today I was ready to go and I wasn’t going to let that opportunity slip.

“The three or four signings we made in January, players like Rashford and Asensio coming in and their quality, means players like myself sometimes have to drop to the bench and there’s going to be lots of rotation.

“But the manager is going to have a headache as I'm banging on the door asking why I’m not playing.”

Ollie Watkins



“At Villa Park we feel so strong with our supporters. Good, positive energy and now we are competing.

"Today was a match with every player available to play. That means three players missed out of the squad. I don't like to leave three players out but it's a necessity to improve and increase our competitive way for this match.

"We were missing it before and now, in the second half of the season, it's strong [the squad].

"We had to improve, get better, try to add players that would help us, recover injured players and some players were not fit enough in certain moments - and now they are. The result is a consequence of this.

"In the second half they were pushing with fresh legs and we won through that.

“We have to feel angry when we are not winning. Of course, we enjoyed the Champions League, we have to be proud of our effort, but we lost. Always when you lose, you have to be angry and respond.

"We have to focus clearly on each match, each moment and be like today. I'm so happy with how we responded but now my thoughts are on the Manchester City match on Tuesday."

Unai Emery post match.



**Unai, you must be delighted with the win?**

"I am very happy with how the players responded today against one team performing fantastic and doing a very amazing season. Today we showed as well our capacity to face them.

"It’s a team very difficult in the game plan how we were preparing and how we were as well responding on the field, getting a lot of duels. It’s a team very demanding, they push with their individual duels. We really played fantastic in 90 minutes and it was necessary to play with the starting players and the bench, the sub players impacted when we needed it.

"I am very happy but keeping balance because today this victory is trying to be close to the teams contenders to be in the top five for Champions League. But there’s still work to do to get it.

"For a European position, we are closer after this victory and of course happy. But now we are in our momentum, keeping momentum to try and get our best and don’t waste time and be focused each match.

"The first part of the season we weren’t performing and getting points like we are now. We are under our objective in our better expectations we had, to be in Europe and to try to fight to get the Champions League positions."

**Are you peaking at the right moment?**

"Yes, now after recovering some players getting injured. Now it is very important how we can use different players and how we can use in different matches as well different starting 11 players, sub players.

"One problem we had, we had some players injured, some players not fit. We had some players not getting the level we needed. In January we were very demanding to try to join some players giving us more of a level to set and try to get.

"We are showing we are in this way, but there’s still work to do and still five matches to play in the Premier League and still the objective we have as well, and still the challenge in the FA Cup. But we are very happy and so, so demanding with the players each day to be focusing on each match."

**A word on Watkins' performance...**

"It’s fantastic! It’s fantastic to be angry, it’s fantastic to play like the way he did today. It’s fantastic to be ready and available in every match in the better moments like today I think he showed. This is the committed way I want."

**Watkins was angry to not start against PSG - what did he tell you?**

"He’s a very good person and very respectful always. His commitment is always very, very positive with his teammates, with the club, with the coaches and with the manager.

"My conversation with every player is always trying to help support and be demanding with them, as well trying to understand their moment. Usually I am speaking with the players when it is the moment to speak individually with some players.

"With Watkins, it was a very good conversation. Of course, when he responded like today, wow, I am so, so happy for him and for the team. Also for our objectives, how we are getting through them and through their demands as well. It’s really fantastic.

"But every player is the same for me, trying to support and to help them."

**How important is squad depth at this stage?**

"Yes, but we increased our level. We increased clearly our level and demands. When I arrived here, it was my objective to play more matches in the season, Europe, like now in the FA Cup playing in the semi-final.

"We are playing more than 55, last year we played more than 55. This year we are going to play more than 55. There are more players in the national team. We had problems before because we didn’t have enough players available to play, we weren’t achieving points because we didn’t have some players fit or they were injured or they were not getting the level we needed.

"Now and always in my career as a coach, when I perform better it is when I have players available and two players per position, more or less, playing and performing well. Now, we are in this moment and our momentum is the squad of players’ momentum, not only the 11 players. They are showing it and it is necessary to have players ready to play and some players as well in the bench.

"Today was the first time this season I had to take players out of the squad because every player was available for today. It was for different circumstances that I decided out of Pau (Torres), Leon Bailey and Lamare Bogarde. I told the players, it’s the first time.

"Of course, it’s good for me to take this decision. I want moments like that with the players available, ready to play and performing in our demands."

**Tielemans enjoyed another excellent game...**

"For me, he’s a fantastic player! A high-level player. His commitment with us is really fantastic and he’s being consistent. Last year, he was a little bit in the adaptation of him to us everything in our demands. He understood in that moment how he was doing in his process. He was performing well, but he wasn’t playing with consistency.

"This year, he’s playing consistently because he’s being fit, he’s performing well, he’s as well adding us his skill playing as a midfielder or even as a 10 number. He’s really physically feeling very good. This is of course the first idea with every player when I’m trying to get the best of them, with these characteristics like Tielemans has always help."

Unai Emery, post match.