Unai Emery spoke about how important it is to adapt in this game and also how much it is about learning from other coaches.
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The Premier League season is coming to an end and Aston Villa are one of the few teams who still have something to play for on the final matchday. Villa are placed seventh in the standings with 58 points from 37 games. Tottenham Hotspur are sitting a place and a point below them having played the same number of matches. With the top six places finalised, the battle is still on for the seventh spot. The club that finishes seventh in English top flight will book a ticket to the Europa Conference League qualifiers.
Brighton though have nothing to worry about. They have sealed the sixth spot and they cannot move up or down in the Premier League table anymore. Thereby, the upcoming game is more important to Aston Villa than their visitors. With still a lot to play for on the final day, Villa manager Unai Emery spoke about the importance of the match and how difficult it would be to face an in-form Brighton side.
“We have in front of us the most important match we are going to face. We are trying to prepare for it like the last matches we played, being motivated and enjoying the process. Our time is coming on Sunday with our supporters in Villa Park to enjoy this match. We are going to face a very difficult team. They are playing amazing football. Their structure, tactically, is very strong. I enjoy the matches we are playing in the Premier League and the matches we are watching of other teams. One of those teams is Brighton,” he was quoted as saying by the club’s website ahead of the contest.
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Unai Emery then went on to say about how important it is to adapt in this game and also how much it is about learning from other coaches. “Football is changing so quickly. I’m 51-years-old, I started coaching at 32, so I’ve had 19 years as a coach and manager. Always I am very focussed on how I can improve each day to be today better than yesterday, to be tomorrow better than today,” he added.
“It’s not only about my work or my experiences or my analysis, it’s about trying to watch other coaches. One of them is Roberto De Zerbi. I like coaches who can show us something different tactically, offensively and defensively. In football, you have to be in the fast train because it moves so quickly. You have to be very aware about how everything is changing and try to adapt very quickly, to progress very quickly and to understand quickly the changes. He is a coach here in England doing something different.”
Since Aston Villa still have something to play for in the final match week, the pressure is set to follow them along with it. However, Unai Emery wants the players to “enjoy the process” more than inviting the pressure. “For me, the pressure is amazing to try to feel matches when you’re playing for something important. It’s not playing under pressure, it’s playing for something important,” he added.
“We want to be excited, not anxious, but to be excited, be very motivated and to enjoy the process. When you’re in the match, you have to be prepared to focus only on your game plan. The players are doing that. When you are very focussed and you’re really trying to work hard on your style and idea, and your players are practicing hard, this is a good way. That is a moment you feel you are doing all you can on the pitch.”
