Aston Villa will host Man City in the 8th round of the Premier League. Villa manager Unai Emery previewed the fixture at Friday's pre-match press conference.
On his fourth anniversary at Villa
I don't celebrate. My only form of celebration is being able to rest for a few days or simply relax. Most of the time, though, I need to work and stay focused.
My birthday is November 3rd. When I arrived four years ago, I played a match on my birthday after spending 24 hours preparing for it. I still remember it, and the situation is the same now. I don't celebrate; I just try to improve, work harder, and enjoy where we are.
Have Villa become stronger this season?
It's difficult to answer because our goal is always to improve, but it's not just about changing players or restructuring the club. We're building a new stadium to accommodate more fans while also improving our training ground and facilities. Ultimately, what matters most is how the players perform on the pitch and whether we can establish a stronger system.
Tomorrow we play our 8th Premier League match. In the Champions League, the 4th round is next, followed by Barcelona. We also have a League Cup tie on Wednesday evening. We haven't started our FA Cup campaign yet, as we're still in October.
Our goal is to keep improving and strive for success. For now, though, I want to assess our fourth year here. We've made many important improvements over time. I'm not yet certain we're stronger, but we have some very young, talented players, and I hope we can help them reach their full potential.
They've improved, yes, but it's not enough. We can't judge whether we're stronger through analysis alone. That's our goal, and I hope that in six months we can look back and confirm we've genuinely become stronger.
On Man City, this round's opponents
Man City and Arsenal are title favorites. Last season, both were exceptionally strong in all areas, competing fiercely with clearly defined styles of play.
Sometimes we dream of closing the gap on them. Two years ago, we competed with Arsenal and Man City until December, staying close behind them. Last year was the same—we were always trailing, but the gap remained narrow.
After 7 rounds, Man City have 21 points while we have only 8—a very, very large gap. Man City have made an excellent start, truly outstanding, and their performances have improved consistently. They've been competing well and winning regularly. They've lost only one Champions League match, against PSG, so tomorrow will be an enormous challenge.
Playing against Man City is always a huge occasion. Whether in Manchester or at Villa Park, as a coach, I really enjoy testing ourselves against teams like them.
In which areas does Villa need to improve?
There's room for improvement, both collectively and individually. Tactically, we need a better understanding of our positions and greater clarity on how to strengthen our defense and attack, improve our high press and midfield press, and limit the opponent's dominance.
Defensively, our formation needs to be more compact. We're doing well at the moment, but there's still work to do. In possession, we should aim to be more dominant. We can also make tactical adjustments to cope with the opponent's pressing, win duels, stop attacks, and apply pressure through our positioning. There are many areas we need to improve.
Individually, every player must improve. Some are getting more playing time and gaining confidence—a clear sign of progress. Others, however, lack both confidence and opportunities within our current structure, making it difficult for them to grow in confidence. I'm confident we can address this through continued hard work and positive reinforcement in training.
On the influence of veteran players
It's natural for the captain to do a good job in the dressing room, even when I'm not there. I don't spend much time in the dressing room. On matchdays, I'm there with the players, but at the training ground, I've only been in their dressing room three times.
Why? Because it's their space. The captain must help their teammates, support the club, convey the coach's message, and keep lines of communication open.
During my time at Villa, McGinn has performed very well, as has Mings. We also have other experienced leaders, such as Kamara and Buendia, who understand the dressing room environment and our coaching staff's requirements. Players like Pau Torres and Cash, who have been here for three to four years, continue to help us maintain those standards.
On Villa's improved form
We faced a similar situation last season, but with different players and in a different competition—the Europa League then, the Champions League now. Our goal is to keep improving in every match and every competition.
The challenge is to maintain our standards while closing gaps through hard work, recovery, and players working toward the goal both collectively and individually.
Of course, winning feels better and builds confidence. But even when we win, there is still room for improvement. We've won two home Champions League matches at Villa Park with strong performances, but we must also win in the Premier League.
We've lost two home games to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest and drawn with Brentford. We improved against Brentford, but it wasn't enough. We must recognize the challenges we faced—Brentford played very well.
Some of our new signings lack Premier League experience, but they are adapting. We're identifying problems and pushing them to adjust quickly. We set clear standards for ourselves, and our opponents do the same. Finishing in the top six of the Premier League is very difficult. Even earning a single point is hard—Brentford perfectly illustrates just how challenging this league is.