Unai Emery spoke to the press ahead of Aston Villa’s Emirates FA Cup third-round meeting with West Ham United.
Emery’s men take on the Irons, who will be under the stewardship of new manager Graham Potter for the first time, at Villa Park on Friday evening.
And the Villa boss met with the local and national media at Bodymoor Heath on Thursday afternoon, discussing Potter, the FA Cup and Villa’s 150th Anniversary Match.
Read the key lines from his pre-match press conference below…
On FA Cup objectives…
“Tomorrow, we are going to play in the FA Cup, trying to be protagonists.
“One of our objectives is to try to be a contender for a trophy, and in case of course the winner is playing next year in the Europa League.
“This is the objective for tomorrow, for us, with the match against West Ham.
“We are playing at home as well, and of course we are at the same time trying to build a team, trying to build our structure, and our objective will be clear for the second part of the season.”
On team news…
“John McGinn, he is not being available for tomorrow.”
On previous FA Cup performance, and no more replays…
“It depends, because the circumstances were in that moment, we didn’t get something in the FA Cup, but it was a process.
“Not really thinking it was a frustration. When you are losing, it is a frustration, but of course, it is football.
“We are starting this year with the circumstances we have now, and tomorrow the idea is to try to be competitive and try to start performing better than the last two years, trying to get through this competition, one option for a trophy and one option for Europe.
“Of course, we are playing a lot of matches, and I think if they decided to avoid playing replays, it’s because the people with the responsibility decided it is better for the competition, better for the clubs and better for how we are adding a lot of matches in different competitions, even in competitions for the countries.
“To try to reduce matches for the players, I think is good.”
On Graham Potter and West Ham…
“Of course, West Ham, they have very good players. It’s a good club as well.
“It’s not good news when they are changing a coach, but it’s an opportunity for him.
“We are going to respect West Ham and we are going to respect him, because he was successful when he was coaching before here in England.
“He has experiences, and I think he is going to do good work.”
On Jaden Philogene, and the January transfer window…
“I believe in Jaden Philogene, but we are, of course, always trying to get the best for the club, for the squad, the team, and the players.
“If he is leaving, it is because it is good for those three options.
“The club is working [in January, more generally].”
On Anniversary Match, and what Aston Villa means to him…
“I am spending my life here, at the moment two years, and hopefully for a long time.
“Of course, it is part of my life, something important as a coach.
“Hopefully, I will be leaving here, sharing with our supporters everything for the history they had, and as well we had, and trying to do something important now, with our opportunity we have here in different competitions.
“In my passion, in football, am I very proud of the history they have, and of course the history we can do.”
