Every word Emery said about injuries, Man City rule breaking and anniversary

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery spoke to the media before hosting Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

He was asked to provide a team news update, give his thoughts on City's start to the season and explain how he may celebrate his first four years in charge of the club.

Here's every word he said during his press conference...

What is the team news?

"We are training now in the afternoon, and we still have players who are clearly out, like Onana, Aaron, and Ruggeri. As for the other players, we will see how they are after the match they played on Wednesday. Some have some pain, but I can’t tell you now until after the training session this afternoon."

Will Manzambi train this afternoon?

"It is not a big injury, but in case he doesn't feel 100 per cent comfortable, training firstly... The plan is, can you run? Can you touch the ball? This is the process."

How will you celebrate four years at Villa?

"I am not celebrating. The only celebration is when I can have some days off or rest. I can remember when I came here four years ago. My birthday is November 3rd, and on my birthday I prepared for one game for 24 hours. I don't do celebrations; I only try to get better, work more, and try to enjoy the way that we are working.

How do you improve while changing players?

"We want to improve. It is not only changing and replacing players, but as a club structure, we are expanding the stadium for more fans and improving a lot of things at the training ground. The most important thing in the end is how the players respond on the field and how we can build a strong structure on the pitch.

"Everything makes sense, and we can analyse things deeply. We are on matchday four of the Champions League against Barcelona. We are playing the next round on Wednesday against Bournemouth. We haven't started the FA Cup yet. The objective is to be better and to try to be successful in our way, but the first summary I can make about how we are doing everything is to try to analyse and understand the four years that I have been here. Every year, I did very important things to improve. We have some talented players and I hope that we can exploit their potential. It is not enough yet to analyse whether we are better or not."

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What have you made of Man City?

"They are favourites. Man City and Arsenal are so, so strong and competitive in everything. Their identity is clear. We dream of being close to them. Two years ago we were competing with them and Arsenal, and last December too, we were close. The gap in points is big now this season as they have only lost once, against PSG. Tomorrow is a huge challenge - it is always a huge challenge against Manchester City. As a manager, I like to play games against teams like Manchester City."

Where do you need to improve?

"Collectively and individually. We need to better understand our positioning when we are attacking and defending. We are doing well, but there is still work to do to improve. When we have the ball, I think we can try to dominate more while adapting to the opponent when they press us man-to-man. There are a lot of things to improve, and individually, every player must improve.

"How we are progressing and how some players are getting more minutes and gaining confidence is clear progress. Other players are lacking confidence and the minutes needed to feel it. I am positive about how we can achieve this through our work and by showing the right attitude."

How important are your senior players in the dressing room?

"I don't like to be in the dressing room with them. I am in the stadium dressing room, but at the training ground, maybe only three times have I been in the dressing room. This space is for the players and the captains. They must try to help the players and send the club's and manager’s message with the team. John McGinn and Tyrone Mings have been fantastic, as have other captains like Kamara, Buendia, Pau, and Cash. They know the dressing room culture and the message, and they help set the high demands we have in the dressing room."

What has been the secret to the quick turnaround in form?

"Last year we were in the same situation, with different players and competitions. Our objective is focused on each match and competition. The challenge is to improve, and the challenge is to set high standards. The gap we have as a team collectively and individually… to reduce it, we must work hard. That is the way. When we are winning, we feel better and gain confidence, but there is still a lot to work on even when we are winning. There are still many matches to win in the Premier League. We lost two matches against Arsenal and Forest, and drew against Brentford. How we analyse and understand those difficulties is important. Brentford played a great match against us."

Man City unity since charges?

"I think the key there is the coach. Maresca is doing a fantastic job, and he worked with Guardiola. He worked with Leicester successfully, too. He knows the Man City players, the culture, and the club. I think everything he is doing makes sense, and he is following the same path as Guardiola. The players they have, too. Arsenal and Man City have been very consistent - the best teams in the last years."

Will Man City breaking the rules influence the game?

"We are focusing our analysis and preparation on the field. The noise must help us more than them. It must give us energy to focus on the match. It is a difficult 90 minutes against Man City; you have to focus and be ready in case we make mistakes so that we have cover. We must be clinical. It is a huge challenge. We need our supporters and Villa Park. The same respect we had against Viking, we must have against Man City."

Are you annoyed that you have to play midday on Saturday after winning on Wednesday night?

"It is not my concern. If we speak about it, we can use it as an excuse, and I don't like making excuses. We rested yesterday and this morning. In case someone is tired or in pain - okay, stay calm, we are going to play a lot of matches. We need players ready to play, eating good food, and getting good rest. We must be focused and feel strong in meeting the demands we have. Sunday is a day off for the players and for me."