Aston Villa manager Unai Emery sat down with the media after his side’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle United at Villa Park.
Ezri Konsa was sent off in the 66th minute, which reduced Villa to 10 men for the final half an hour of the game. Here is what Emery said in his press conference…
What are your thoughts on the draw, Unai?
“We are not happy when we are losing two points at home. But because of how the match went, more or less, they maybe even deserved more because they had better chances than us. We have to accept it.
“How we worked and how the players got their commitment playing in each moment, we have to accept the point. More or less, we can take confidence for the next matches.
“We didn’t control the game like we planned. Our build-up was not bad, but we didn’t threaten them. Some duels we didn’t win clearly. The last passes we needed to do, we lost a lot of balls. They created chances, and our goalkeeper did a fantastic job. He is comfortable in our idea.
“We didn’t concede a lot in the second half and created chances, but the red card completely changed the match. We have to feel happy and proud of our work. This is the level we are playing against, which is the highest in the Premier League and Europa League. Today was a very good test, and in the end, it was a good result.”
A word on Bizot’s performance?
“Fantastic. Fantastic, because it was his debut at home, against Newcastle. There are a lot of tactical ways we needed to do with the goalkeeper. He tried them, and he was focusing to try to start two-one, three-two, with our center-backs and midfielders, sometimes getting the full-backs involved and getting the ball to Watkins.
“He took some risk and played with confidence. His first save gave him confidence to play and feel strong in our structure. I am so happy because we need our players, and we will need him.”
Did you lack width?
“Sometimes yes, but it depends. The first half, we weren’t getting duels and winning them. I can remember us creating chances sometimes, like Ollie Watkins when he had a chance. Our full-backs were wide, and they exploited outside more than the wingers in the second half. Morgan Rogers and John McGinn are not special wingers, but they go inside. They played fantastic.”
Are you pleased with the character your team showed?
“In the dressing room we spoke about the difficulties we faced. We corrected some tactical issues, and the players felt more comfortable in the second half. We started to dominate, and in that moment, the players and everyone saw it differently in the second half.
“The red card changed the game, and we were in a low block lots of times. We have to feel in balance with this point. It is a test, and we are starting the season. After the red card, it was harder to substitute players with the structure we were taking. Keep going and looking forward.”
Did you agree with the red card?
“Yes. I accepted it.”
PSR – how should the rules change?
“We are keeping balance, and we are respecting the rules. We are being competitive in the transfer window. Since I arrived here, we have done fantastic windows, in January and the summer. We now have to be intelligent and as well so alert in everything. I think the most important is how we are building the team, trying to get as strong as possible with the players we have.
“The club is working fantastic, and we are ambitious. We are ambitious, respecting the rules too, trying to get the best players possible. We are trying to be a contender for Europe and compete like we did today. We are not going to rest in case we can be with an option in the transfer window.”
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