Fixtures
- West Ham United Vs. Aston Villa – Sat, Aug 17th 2024, 17:30
On the eve of the 2024/25 Premier League season, Unai Emery was speaking to the media from Bodymoor Heath.
Aston Villa’s manager gave his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s game against West Ham United.
Here’s what he had to say…
On expectations for the season ahead…
“The expectations for this year are different because we are going to play in the Champions League. This is fantastic for us, it’s a new motivation and the best level in the football world.
“We are going to try and be competitive and try to do our way. The expectation for us in the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup is the same.
“We’re not contenders to be in the top four. We’re not starting being contenders to be in the top five. There are seven teams who are contenders more than us.
“We achieved last year a top four position and we have to be demanding, intelligent, hard-working. Other teams are contenders more than us to be in the top four, five, six and seven, and we have to try to beat them.
“They have more capacity than us and we are trying to develop in every direction we can do. We are trying to reduce the distance to those teams, and we are doing it, but there are still seven teams with more capacity than us at the beginning of the season.”
Pressed on which seven teams, Emery replied: “Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle.”
On being competitive on four fronts…
“We are demanding of ourselves and we want to keep the same spirit we had last year to compete, trying to be in with the top seven.
“We are going to compete in the Champions League and I want to compete being a protagonist. I don’t want to play in the Champions League getting there and not being competitive.
“We will be competitive. I have experiences in different European competitions and we competed very well three years ago with Villarreal, getting the semi-finals. It was fantastic, but now my new challenge is to do something similar with Aston Villa.
“I don’t know about getting to quarter-finals or semi-finals, but we have to be competitive and play each match facing the best teams in the world. In the Premier League, we have to keep the same competitive spirit we had last year.
“The players have to be very demanding. We have changed some players in the squad, trying to get balance and developing in the direction we want to move forward in, getting better every year.”
On Morgan Rogers…
“He was performing very well last year. His adaptation was fantastic and he helped us a lot to be in the Champions League this year.
“Starting tomorrow, the challenge for him is to keep improving. The most difficult thing is not when you are getting the level he is, it’s keeping it for a long time. The level he achieved last year with us, now the challenge is to keep it.
“He’s a very, very good example for his teammates, for the spirit we want, being intelligent in the recruitment and trying to do a plan with the players progressing like him.
“The young players like him need to be passionate but very demanding. Their mentality is very important and he has a very great mentality.”
On facing West Ham United…
“West Ham, two years ago, they won the Conference League and were playing consistently in Europe. They didn’t get it last year for this season, but their objective is to be trying to get the same as we got last year – to be in the top seven.
“This is an objective they can have. Their power as a club, with the players and coach they have, is going in this direction. I think they’re going to try to get the same as we got last year.
“Tomorrow is a very good match between two teams who are similar. The objective we have must be similar with the potential we have.
“I am very motivated and excited with the players about how we can start tomorrow. We have to be very demanding in 38 matches – we are going to play against every team, contenders to be in the top seven or not.
“The Premier League is the most difficult league in the world, and after the top seven teams, West Ham, Fulham, Everton, Bournemouth, Brighton, Brentford have power to be a surprise in the Premier League.”
