Unai Emery wants to “build confidence each minute, each hour, each day, each week,” in his quest to finish the season strongly.
Our head coach has been focused on getting the players in the right frame of mind on the back of two straight defeats, and he hopes to see the fruit of his labours at Leicester on Sunday.
Ahead of that crucial Premier League game, Unai faced the media. Read on for a full transcript of his press conference.
on building confidence after two defeats…
Good afternoon. The first target is to recover our confidence. We can build on this confidence each minute, each hour, each day, each week - and above all we’re training and we’re looking for a big performance for the three points.
on the fans getting behind players…
I think it’s very important to be together and to feel a connection with our supporters. We’re doing all we can in training and in each match we’re playing. Sunday is a big match to show them our good spirit and also our wish to win the three points against Leicester.
on Leicester’s main threat…
Each team is very difficult home and away. It’s our preparation with respect but also thinking about how we can fight to battle them. Individually for Sunday the first target is to think in our capacity and be consistent defensively and offensively. We need to adapt to them, but I think both are very important. We need to prepare ourselves and also adapt for them.
on Aubamayeng’s availability…
He trained today and if he can train tomorrow, I think we can think he’s ready for Sunday.
on whether he could start…
He could train today. If he can train normally tomorrow, it’s a possibility.
on why we’ve lost form at this stage of the season…
We can think in each moment about our performance and how we can be consistent. It’s really our way in every day and every match. Afterwards, we can think generally about the season. Our target is to be in the possibility to take it. We lost the last match and the match before, but our focus is on the present and on Sunday. If we think negatively with the last two matches, we can’t think positively about the games we won against Napoli and Watford. Each match is a new history, a new test and [a chance to move up the table or not]. We’re being positive, working, recovering the confidence in our players and in our work. We need to be ready and look forward to playing the next match.
on the Champions League being important for buying players…
Each moment we can speak about the past and the future. In each moment we can speak about our focus. Our only one way is to speak about the present and our focus is on Sunday.
on our away record and mentality…
I don’t want to speak about the last match we lost. I don’t want to speak about our victory at Napoli, I only want to speak about our next match. We are preparing, working and not giving too much information. We want to give enough information to be ready to play.
on whether it’s a concern…
How many times are you going to ask the same question? It’s the same. I am responding to you and I am answering you, but maybe I change my words to say the same.
on Leicester under Rodgers…
They’ve changed the coach. This coach has given them a new energy, a new idea, a new style. He’s not changed the players, but it’s a different system. They’re doing important work from set-pieces that’s different. They feel good now and are in a good moment with confidence. They play with combinations and they have good individuals. It’s going to be difficult for us but we need to test ourselves in the present in the Premier League against them with our best optimistic thinking for playing against them.
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
