Emery reveals frustration with Villa team
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has said he was “frustrated” with his team’s performance after they failed to beat 10-player Ipswich.
Villa played for nearly an hour with an extra man but Emery said his side were “hurried in some actions” and were “not doing what I usually want”.
“I was frustrated because we lacked how we wanted to play and how we try to dominate, how we try to impose our plan,” he told Sky Sports.
“We were sometimes playing with the crowd – supporting us of course, but not under the control that I want.
“I was trying to tell the players: please try to dominate the game, get good positioning, go higher, try to do passes and we are going to open spaces, trying to get into the box and getting chances.
“We were great doing it, we had chances to draw and win the match even.
“But my frustration is we were not doing what I usually want. Usually, we are building the team here with this style. They followed the instructions, but they were a little bit hurried in some actions.
“We played and deserved to win. We played like we are building a team and we keep going.”
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16 Feb16 Feb00:53
Rashford reborn? Best bits from forward’s impressive Villa performance
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15 Feb15 Feb09:48
Watkins: We should have won the game
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins said his team “should have won the game” against Ipswich after he helped rescue a 1-1 draw.
Watkins tapped in the rebound from Marcus Rashford’s free-kick hitting the bar after Liam Delap had given 10-player Ipswich a shock second half lead, following Axel Tuanzebe’s red card for two bookings.
Despite the late equaliser, Watkins said: “Really disappointing. We created a lot of chances and good chances to win the game. The keeper had an outstanding performance, some unbelievable saves. I think we had enough to come away with three points, so it’s disappointing.
“It’s difficult to break ten men down when they’re doing all they can to make it hard for you. We had to be patient, we didn’t have that final clinical edge. We should be coming away with three points here.
“Unbelievable free-kick and I just followed it in. Their CVs speak for himself. It’s great we can bring talent like that off the bench. Everyone is important in the squad, we’re going to need that in the last few games and the Champions League.”
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14 Feb14 Feb09:42
Emery: Villa’s squad is stronger after January
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery claims his squad is now stronger following their business in the January transfer window.
Villa parted ways with Jhon Duran, Emiliano Buendia, Diego Carlos and Jaden Philogene, with Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, Donyell Malen, Andres Garcia and Axel Disasi heading to the west Midlands.
“Yes,” Emery said when asked if his squad had improved. “But my opinion on how we are doing, the process is still in balance.
“That is because we have to see. Each match is an opportunity for us to show we can get stronger or not, if we are closer to the objective we have or not.
“This is the next challenge I have for the next three-and-a-half months in the competitions we play in.
“We are now in the FA Cup next round, Champions League and the Premier League – the main objective we have. Through that, we are going to be in Europe or not.”
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14 Feb14 Feb09:33
Watkins, Mings to return for Villa
Ollie Watkins (groin) and Tyrone Mings (knee) will be involved against Ipswich.
January signings Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio are pushing for starts but Pau Torres, Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana remain out.
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14 Feb14 Feb07:46
Emery will need full squad ahead of busy period
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery knows he is going to need his full squad during a gruelling run of fixtures which sees them play five times in 14 days.
“When you can feel you are stronger is when you can have some players in the bench really with the performance we are expecting of them to be ready to play,” Emery said at his pre-match press conference.
“We are facing different competitions, and the difficulties we will face for the next month in those three competitions we are in now, it’s really necessary to have players not injured and to have players as well on the bench being ready to substitute other players and being good impact.
“This year, the idea is [to] try to learn about the last two years we were here, how we can get again stronger the second part of the season, with Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
“We needed to join some players like we did. Of course we are very motivated with the players we have as well because they are as well feeling comfortable with the players we joined helping us.
“Now, is be competitive, individually, collectively, try to be ready to help the team, playing 90 minutes, playing 70 minutes and sometimes playing even five, 10, 15 minutes.
“It’s very important, how we can feel stronger.”
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13 Feb13 Feb11:35
McKenna: We know what a threat Rashford is
Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna is aware of the threat Marcus Rashford could pose for Aston Villa on Saturday.
Rashford signed for Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window and made his debut off the bench during the 2-1 win against Tottenham in the FA Cup.
The Tractor Boys travel to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon, with McKenna well aware of his talents after working with him as a first-team coach at Old Trafford.
“I think Marcus at his best would be an addition to any team in the league really so yes, we know what a threat he is,” said McKenna.
“Of course, the boys faced him as well not so long ago with Man United, but I’ve also seen him up close at his best as well and he can be a fantastic player.
“So, yes, we know his qualities. We know there’s a chance that we’ll come up against him in some respect on Saturday, whether that’s from the start or off the bench and they’ve got a really deep, high quality forward unit where they can make really impactful subs.
“So we’ve had to be thorough in our preparation and look forward to taking on that challenge and Marcus will be part of that.”
Rashford scored in Ipswich’s 1-1 draw with United, which was Ruben Amorim’s first game in charge of the club.
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13 Feb13 Feb04:48
Chester announces retirement from football
Salford defender and former Wales international James Chester has announced his retirement from football.
Chester began his career with Manchester United but made only one appearance for the club.
The 36-year-old went on to play for Hull, Aston Villa and Stoke and won 35 caps for Wales, playing in all six games as Chris Coleman’s side reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Chester, who had made just two appearances for Salford this season back in August, wrote on Instagram: “After 18 years as a professional footballer and over 500 games, the time has come for me to announce my retirement.
“It’s been an incredible journey, filled with unforgettable moments, amazing team-mates, fantastic staff, and unwavering support at every club I’ve played for.
“I’m incredibly proud of everything I’ve achieved in the game, and now I’m excited to see what my life brings next.
“I’ll remain part of the Salford City squad until the end of the season, where I’ll continue learning about the other aspects of football.
“Thank you all for everything.”
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12 Feb12 Feb03:15
‘MacPhee no stranger to doubling up roles’
Analysis from Sky Sports News’ Paul Gilmour:
“It’s understood MacPhee, like Martinez, has a contract until the end of the 2026 World Cup. It’s an assistant coach role but will include set piece responsibilities.
“Martinez had the final decision and had been impressed by the number of Aston Villa goals from set pieces in recent seasons.
“MacPhee is no stranger to combining two roles and only left Scotland in September.
“One challenge for MacPhee will be to sharpen up a Portuguese team that has plenty of attacking talent but little return in this area.
“Much is made of Cristiano Ronaldo taking every direct free kick but MacPhee can help bring creativity and more goals.
“The Al-Nassr forward will be able to get an idea of MacPhee’s methods from new teammate Jhon Duran, who recently left Villa. ”
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12 Feb12 Feb03:15
MacPhee named Portugal assistant
Aston Villa set-piece coach Austin MacPhee has been appointed the new assistant coach of Portugal.
He replaces Anthony Barry who left to join England with Thomas Tuchel.
MacPhee was chosen by Portugal boss Roberto Martinez and will continue working under Unai Emery at Aston Villa alongside the new role.
His first involvement will be the Nations League double-header against Denmark in March.
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11 Feb11 Feb23:51
One on One: Emery on dynasties, McKenna on loyalty
On ‘One on One’ this week, Joe meets Aston Villa’s head coach, Unai Emery, to chat about one of the great footballing dynasties you’ve probably never heard of! Plus, they discuss his management style that’s been so roundly praised on this podcast by those who’ve played under him.
Meanwhile, Jules is off to the manager’s office at Ipswich to speak to Kieran McKenna about back to back promotions, taking your chances, and when to stay loyal.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please leave us a review and give us a follow so you don’t miss an episode.
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10 Feb10 Feb06:19
Villa sign Ozcan on pre-contract agreement
Aston Villa have signed Turkey youth international Yasin Ozcan from Turkish side Kasimpasa on a pre-contract agreement.
The 18-year-old defender will spend the remainder of the season with the Turkish club before joining Villa in the summer.
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9 Feb9 Feb13:02
Emery praises Asensio and Rashford debuts
Unai Emery praised the performances of both Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio after the duo made their debuts off the bench against Tottenham.
Fellow new signings Andres Garcia and Donyell Malen also started as Villa progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win.
“Andres Garcia and Malen both played in the idea we had,” Emery said.
“They were consistent and focused. As well, Marcus Rashford and Asensio, we watched their skill and how they helped us and will help us again in the next months in the different competitions we will face.
“We are in a new way after the changes we did. We are demanding because we still need to improve due to some tactical issues and how we want to compete in the Premier League.”
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9 Feb9 Feb12:59
Emery issues Konsa update
Unai Emery has issued an update on Ezri Konsa’s injury after the 2-1 win against Tottenham in the FA Cup.
Konsa started the fixture as Villa’s only recognised centre back on the field but was forced off after 27-minutes, leaving them with Lamarge Bogarde and Boubacar Kamara as the central pairing in defence.
Both players predominantly play in midfield but were forced to fill in with Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres also out injured.
“We weren’t thinking to be playing against Tottenham with Bogarde and Kamara.
“Both are more central midfielders than centre-backs.
“Hopefully we can recover quickly Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings. As well Axel Disasi for next week if everything goes well. For Konsa, hopefully it is not a big injury.”
Disasi signed on loan from Chelsea on Deadline Day but was cup-tied for the fixture after already featuring for his parent club in the competition.
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9 Feb9 Feb12:15
Villa new boys impress on debut
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe:
Progressing into the fifth round is exciting enough but the cameo performances from new signings Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford have left Aston Villa fans desperate to see more.
“This is probably the best squad we’ve ever had,” Jacob Ramsey, who scored the first goal against Tottenham in the 2-1 win, told the BBC after the game.
“You see the bench with (Donyell) Malen starting and Rashford coming on. The squad depth is unbelievable.
“The starting players have to raise their game as the players coming on are a big threat.”
Despite only spending a few training sessions with their new squad after signing in the final days of the January transfer window, Rashford and Asensio linked-up seamlessly with their team-mates and were unlucky to walk away without assists to their name.
Unai Emery now has an abundance of world-class talent at his disposal but the same problem he experienced with Jhon Duran prior to his move to Al Nassr now presents itself again: how can he use them all together?
However, in terms of problems in football, it is the best one to have.
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7 Feb7 Feb13:36
Keane: Has Rashford lost his hunger?
Roy Keane has questioned Marcus Rashford’s move to Aston Villa “if he lost the hunger at Manchester United”.
Rashford has joined Villa on loan for the remainder of the season after falling out of favour with United boss Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.
Amorim said he could not get Rashford to see football the way he does amid conjecture over the England forward’s application in training.
“If he’s lost the hunger at Man United – how will he get it at Aston Villa?” said Keane ahead of the United’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against Leicester.
“Once you lose the hunger it’s hard to get it back.
“It’s sad but it’s been on the cards the last year or two, especially since the new manager’s come in. Clearly they didn’t get on.
“The manager got no reaction from Marcus. The strange thing for me was I thought when Marcus was going to leave Man United he was going to go abroad and try something new.
“A new adventure for him, a different league, a different challenge. To go to Villa surprises me a little bit.
“I know Aston Villa are going along nicely, but you can’t compare them to Manchester United.”
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7 Feb7 Feb10:14
Duran scores TWO on Al Nassr debut as Ronaldo strike seals victory!
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7 Feb7 Feb08:24
Malen ready to deliver on promise at Villa
In this exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Netherlands international Donyell Malen speaks to Adam Bate about the reasons for his move from Borussia Dortmund and why he believes Unai Emery is the person to help take his game to the next level.
Donyell Malen interview: Aston Villa’s flexible new forward aiming to unlock full potential under Unai Emery
Sky Sports
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7 Feb7 Feb06:53
Watkins to miss Tottenham FA Cup clash
Aston Villa will be without Ollie Watkins for the visit of Tottenham in the FA Cup after he injured his groin in last week’s defeat at Wolves.
However, Emery hopes he will be available in the next week.
“For him each day is being important how he is feeling,” the Spaniard added.
“For Sunday, he’s not going to be available because today he didn’t train and tomorrow he won’t train as well because he needs to recover hopefully for the next week he will be available.”
Defenders Tyrone Mings, Pau Torres and Matty Cash also miss out, along with midfielder Ross Barkley.
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7 Feb7 Feb06:35
Emery: We are competing well in transfer market
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery on the January transfer window:
“The transfer window in January is very difficult, but we were competing very well. Now, we have the challenge for the rest of the season to try to recover some good performances collectively and individually that we didn’t have in the first part of the season.
“In the league we’re not in a position where we can feel comfortable. Our objective and target is to be in the European positions. More or less, we are but not completely.
“We have to improve and get better performances in the league over the matches we’re going to play in the next month. We have a very good and motivated way in the Champions League, playing in the last 16, getting the performances we had or even better.
“We have the FA Cup and it’s one match on Sunday. It depends after the match if we can continue in this competition, but our objective in the FA Cup is to try to do a way for a trophy.”
