Unai Emery was asked about a host of subjects on Tuesday afternoon as he faced the media ahead of our game against Bournemouth.
Our head coach discussed the Kepa situation at Chelsea, Mesut Ozil, Denis Suarez, technical directors and more.
Read on for a full transcript:
on whether he will rotate…
Good afternoon. Performance. I want a performance in each match and our focus is tomorrow. Some players after playing Sunday with a very big intensity and energy, maybe can give us the same intensity and the same energy and I am going to find some players with this energy, this fresh intensity and also quality. But above all is to do the balance between all the individual qualities and capacities for finding the best performance tomorrow.
on Iwobi’s performance…
I am very happy and I think he is working a lot for improving and he has energy, he has quality, he has things to improve. But he can do that. For us, we have to be demanding with him and he himself being demanding to improve the things that he can get better at in his qualities. When he’s getting into the attacking third, into the box, to be calm to decide the last action with assist and scoring more. But he is giving us a lot of attacking moments and opening space for other players when they are arriving to the ball.
on Denis Suarez’s availability…
I am very demanding of myself to find the best performance with the players. I think Denis Suarez is improving first with the adaptation every day and then his quality can give us a lot. I think it's not okay today to play 90 minutes, because he needs rhythm, but one possibility is to start tomorrow knowing that. Or, stay on the bench and after he can help us. And it's the same with other players.
on maintaining intensity in games...
Not really for this reason. The big intensity is difficult to keep for 90 minutes, with high intensity. We need to learn to play 90 minutes with this balance, but the intensity is very important. When you can't keep this intensity for 90 minutes, you need to do the balance to be organised. Our mentality is improving and our message is the same tomorrow: be organised, show quality, intensity and aggressiveness. But to keep all of these for 90 minutes is not easy. When you are high pressing and with a very big intensity, you can lose some organisation in moments on the pitch and also, when you can be organised, you can lose some intensity in the pressing. The balance is very important. When you are organised, you can be strong in the position, when you want to work against that with the pressing, you need to go ahead individually and find the ball with the pressing, and sometimes you can lose the organisation in these moments. But both are very important. To do this in 90 minutes in different moments you have to do one or another.
on Ozil...
First, is the respect to environment. They have good coaches, organised with a very good intensity, quality players and we know we need to have the respect. And after that, play thinking that we need to push for 90 minutes with our qualities. After that, it's important mostly to be available to play and sometimes during the first 11, but we need players in the bench with a good mentality and good performance when we need players to help us in the second half or for injuries or for when players are tired from carrying on our intensity and skill against them. And for Mesut Ozil, Sunday was a good challenge, like we spoke about before, to be in the bench and help us like he is doing in the last 30 minutes. It was a good performance with good spirit and I think we are stronger when every player is like that. His combination in the attacking third is important for us.
on if fourth is overachieving...
Enjoy the moment but only thinking game-by-game. Tomorrow we can continue in this position, but only if we win. We need to be consistent in 38 matches. Tomorrow is one more. It's very important because three points is not coming back after you play this match. You need to play against Bournemouth thinking that we need and we wish to take these three points.
on the mentality needed to hold off United...
It's one process, to build up every day with the training and every match, to take information that is being given to us in each match. Every player knows whether our team of players, in each moment, how they are responding. Also in the difficult moments, how they respond is very important. The balance is important in every player and above all they have confidence and trust in us and in our work. Now is a very important moment in the season with the Premier League and the Europa League and I am looking for the best performance individually and collectively and to be consistent with that. Our moment is very important our focus is very important to take consistently.
on Monchi...
It's one issue for work in the club. My focus, the players focus and the coaches focus is each match. The club is working on how we can improve, how we can be better in the present and the future with the people working for us.
on the role of technical director and its importance...
I was usually working a sporting director in all of the teams. When I arrived I was working with Mislintat and I worked well with him. The club is working for change and after he is leaving for the possibility to continue with this structure. It is one issue on which the club is working. My responsibility is to train everyday with the players and to find the performances to meet our targets.
on the Kepa incident...
I have my opinion but I think it's only for me and I cannot explain my opinion to you. If I don't know all the situations they are living in.
on why Suarez cannot play 90 mins...
He is working every day, improving and knowing us. My philosophy is that adaptation needs time and after, little-by-little he will grow confidence and know his teammates in training and after playing matches. For him, all the minutes he can get to help us are very important. On Sunday for example my idea was to give him some minutes, but after recent injuries, I cannot give him these minutes. But tomorrow is another opportunity.
on if Suarez will join permanently...
For me, it's so far away. The football, each match, each week, can change a lot. We are in every match, we are doing a test on everybody. My test like a coach is tomorrow and the players are the same. Our demands are very big demands. To work hard, to be with focus for each match to show us and show you, the players, the coaches, that we can improve and we can be better every day. For me the summer is so far away.
on other players already playing...
I don't know about other situations in other clubs, but in our team, for me it's that.
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