Emery speaks ahead of FA Cup opener

Unai Emery met with the media at Bodymoor Heath on Friday afternoon, to preview his side’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup.

The Villans will visit North London on Saturday evening (ko 5.45pm), facing Spurs in the FA Cup for the second time in as many seasons, after defeating the Lilywhites at Villa Park in round four last year.

Emery met with the local and national outlets at his side’s training base ahead of the game, discussing Saturday's hosts, the January transfer window and having a cup run.

Read the key lines from his pre-match press conference below.

On the FA Cup…

“I think we are not showing some doubts. I think we are not feeling we are playing under pressure.

“Premier League, Europa League, when we played Carabao Cup, and tomorrow playing in the FA Cup, each match, I have the responsibility.

“The responsibility for the club history, for the supporters, and for our challenges we have as a professional.”

On Spurs…

“Difficult, very difficult. Firstly, because it’s Tottenham, with the players they have, with the coach they have.

“We are playing in their stadium. They’re going to have their supporters helping them. Of course, they have travelled, a lot of supporters of us, and it’s important to feel them here with us, and how we are competing is the objective.

“To compete, to get our structure strong with the players in the starting 11, and with the players being subs in 90 minutes, and enjoy the way we are doing.”

On transfer window…

“The club is working. The people with this responsibility, they are trying to add a lot of information about the possibilities, and in case we can improve in our squad, we will do it, and in case someone is leaving as well, we are alert for it.

“Happy how we are doing the process this year, even with the difficulties and some mistakes we made in the summer, and how we were in summer, with the circumstances we had in that moment, now how we are overall, and of course, as well, the response of the players every day, and the mentality we are building, and then, through it, the consequences, getting good performance collectively and individually, and being like we are now, of course, so, so proud of it.

“But, each match, each competition, each moment is a new challenge, and we must be so, so demanding and so, so consistent to try to get the next step forward tomorrow with the same idea, style, mentality, and hopefully performance – collectively and individually – like we did.”

On improving…

“We are ambitious and we set our standard high, and to keep it is our objective. How we can improve everything around the club is my responsibility.

“Of course, my first responsibility is to try to get performance on the field, with the players, with our tactics, with our mentality, with the players, how I can manage them, and how I can get the best of them.

“But as well, we have the responsibility and myself, I am involved in it, to try to increase everything.

“How? Through Premier League, to try to be in European position, to try to be in the top position where we are now, to keep it. Of course, to keep it against the teams there are now, it’s very difficult.

“It’s a very difficult Premier League for every team, and only the team being resilient with the level they have, each one, and being consistent, being so, so demanding, how they can achieve their objective, is really a huge challenge.

“How we are third in front of those teams, and how we are performing, competing, and being resilient with our structure and strong in our mentality – because the mentality is very important, how we are building it through the players, because sometimes important players, they are not available, and other players, they are playing and getting the same performance collectively and individually – is really fantastic.

“But to keep it is my challenge. And to be in the top position in Premier League and to keep, hopefully, we can finish late during the season in Europa League, and try to be protagonists and to enjoy with our supporters, each moment we are playing and we are travelling or we are playing in Villa Park.

“And now, FA Cup, last year we played semi-final. It was a big defeat we had against Palace, and they deserved to beat us, but we enjoyed one day in semi-final in London.

“And this is the objective for the supporters, the exciting moment we can share with our supporters, to be in some moments, a special moment.

“Of course, every match in Villa Park is special with our supporters, but to travel away, another country in Europe, or to travel to London to play in the semi-final of the FA Cup or one final, of course, is the next objective.

“And we have this responsibility, and, of course, it’s very difficult to get a title, but when I arrived here, my objective was to play in Europe and to get a title, and, of course, still the same objective I have.

“And I am sharing it, my opinion, with the players, my objective with the players, with the club, with everybody, and tomorrow, we are playing FA Cup.

“Of course, we are involving now in the Premier League, like we are, we are involved in Europa League, like we are, and FA Cup is another very, very demanding way to try to get something.

“Of course, the draw was not the best because we are playing against Tottenham away, but tomorrow we’ll face them, trying to get at best, and of course, focusing the match with our structure, with our idea, with our performance, and hopefully we can show tomorrow as well, our good form.”

Watch Emery's pre-match press conference in full via VillaTV, by clicking below...