Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Thursday’s Europa League game against Basel at St. Jakob-Park (kick-off 20:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
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Emery is pleased with Villa’s excellent recent form, but is taking nothing for granted: “We are in December and of course there are still a lot of matches to play in different competitions. We have a lot of things to improve, but [from] how we were two months ago [to] how we are now of course is different.”
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He said the players have taken “responsibility” after their poor start to the season: “We are building some emotional structure so in everything we are doing and sometimes even [when we are] not winning, we can feel the same. Then on the field, how we are being responsible. The players thought of responsibility after we lost some matches [and] we were not performing well, in August and September. They are being mature [and] responsible.”
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He added this mentality will serve Villa well as they fight on all fronts for success this season: “We need to set our standards, our level, as high as possible in everything. Even when they are resting at home, they must think they will play in a few days and must be ready to play.”
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Emery reflected on winning the Europa League with Sevilla against Liverpool in May 2016 in this stadium: “This competition is so special for me. It gave me a lot – trophies, of course, and a lot of experiences. Of course, here we won the third Europa League I won with Seville. We have won here against Liverpool, and it was a fantastic day.”
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However, he preferred to dwell on what is happening now, nearly 10 years on with Aston Villa: “I want to build a new moment, a new era and a new way. It is very important for our trajectory, for the players and for my own. I am so, so motivated.”
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He recognised the threat Swiss champions Basel will pose: “They won much at home in this competition and they are feeling strong as well. Through the stadium with their supporters, they will be so motivated.”
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Finally, he spoke about the future of on-loan midfielder Harvey Elliott, who is not in the squad for this game: “We are speaking with him [about] his situation. Hopefully, we can get the best for him and for us as well. I respect him a lot as a player – I respect him a lot as a person. My decision is a sport decision.”