Emery analyses 'huge' Fulham challenge

Unai Emery takes Aston Villa to Craven Cottage on Saturday for the team's 34th Premier League game of the season.

The club's manager spoke to the media from Bodymoor Heath ahead of the match against Fulham as the campaign reaches a crucial point.

Here are the key lines from his press conference...

On attaining the best possible Premier League position…

“Our consistency is giving us the opportunity to be in front of other teams, but there are still matches to play and points to play for. We have our own experiences in the Premier League, and we must be consistent until the last day, respecting the teams who are behind us.

“We can extend our objective to be in the top five because now we are fourth, with Manchester United in third. Why are we not challenging as well to be third in the league?

“I came here three and a half years ago and I haven’t achieved this position. I’m speaking with the players and we must be demanding to try to get the best position in the table. It’s realistic in the position we’re in.

“Tomorrow is a huge challenge in Fulham to try and get three points and still be fighting for third position.”

On facing Fulham…

“When you’re achieving good results, you’re feeling comfortable and confident. Each match is a challenge to show how we are, how we can face each match, how we can show our momentum.

“Our momentum we can analyse through our results in the Premier League in the last three games we played, West Ham, Sunderland and Forest. The challenge we can have tomorrow is thinking how we are performing in the Premier League in away matches.

“The last away match we won in Premier League was in Newcastle a long time ago. That shows how difficult it is to achieve the objective we have in each match: three points, one point or no points.

“Tomorrow is going to be very difficult because it’s always difficult away and Fulham have a very good coach, very good players, and they are performing so consistently during the years.”

On priorities…

“We are facing each match. We are preparing for each match. We are focusing on each match. The Premier League is the priority.

“We are in the semi-final of the Europa League and we can lose. If we are losing, we can only get our objective through the league. We can even play the final and we can lose the final, and we can only achieve our objective for next season through the league.

“The priority is how we are going to finish in day 38. We are so excited for the Europa League, but I know how difficult it is to win in Europa League. We have 25 possibilities to win the Europa League because there are four teams and each team has 25% possibility to win, no more.”

On progressing through the season…

“We are focusing on our way, our development, our demands, and how we can be consistent during the season, responding and setting other objectives.

“For example, when we started the season not winning for five matches, our objective was try to escape the bottom. In day six, seven, eight, nine and ten, we were only thinking to escape the bottom.

“When we were in December and January with only a few points difference to Manchester City and Arsenal, we were dreaming of keeping the momentum we had to be contenders to be there in third, second or even first.

“Now, Manchester City and Arsenal kept their consistency longer and stronger than us. We were again getting our position in the table more or less in the top five, but there were teams behind us and we needed to check it.

“Tomorrow is the day 34 and how we are finishing tomorrow, we are going to be in a position that is clearer than today and the last two months. We are motivated, excited and happy, but still there are matches to play and points to play for.

“Consistency is the only way we can achieve our objective.”