Roberto De Zerbi brings his Brighton & Hove Albion side to Villa Park on Saturday.
And ahead of Aston Villa’s latest Premier League clash, head coach Unai Emery spoke to the media at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
Here’s what he had to say…
On Brighton’s qualities…
“We respect every team, player, coach and club, and Brighton has a very, very good team, club, coach and players. The style they are playing now is really impressive.
“They are feeling confident, keeping ball possession, taking up good positions on the pitch and each player is playing with high quality, confidence and skill.
“They are changing players but the style is not changing. They are imposing their idea against every team – even when they lost against AEK Athens and West Ham, they were imposing their idea. Even when they lost against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, they were imposing their idea and style.
“I really appreciate a lot how they are playing. It’s something different in football that they are showing. For me and for us, it’s a big challenge tomorrow how we can face them.”
On Roberto De Zerbi…
“I always followed him when he was in Italy with Benevento, when he was in Sassuolo and when he was in Shakhtar Donetsk. We were analysing some matches when he was in Italy with Sassuolo and he was working very well.
“Now, he is in Brighton and doing more and more. He is taking a step ahead and improving their style. His work is really impressive.”
On Villa Park…
“Villa Park is special, and I want to feel it. I want to keep the same spirit and energy we have at home and that we feel with our supporters.
“Everybody has to help us and support us to try and do another special moment in Villa Park. We are really connecting with them.
“The key for tomorrow is to try and be strong with everybody and to feel our supporters behind us for 90 minutes. And then try to play with personality, to play 100% focused on our gameplan and be very demanding of ourselves, individually and collectively.
“We want to be consistent at home like we have been doing.”
On the gameplan for Saturday…
“We will try to impose our idea, our style. We are feeling better when we have ball possession and we are keeping it. We are feeling better when we can organise our pressing against the opponent, collectively and individually.
“Tomorrow, we have to adapt and maybe it will be different. We have to prepare the match analysing them and trying to play with personality and impose our style.
“We must run tomorrow more than them, we must win duels more than them, we must be more organised than them, we must take each one with the responsibility facing them being a winner.
“That is the key for tomorrow.”
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