Unai emery interview: Jhon Duran Exit means Aston Villa to transform an attack with an emphasis on “talents recovery” | Football news

In the week when Aston Villa confirmed its place in the last 16 Champions League, they also sold their best scorer. The departure of Jhon Duran will disappoint some. The challenge for Unai Emery is to ensure that changes strengthen the villa.

Dealing with Twin Premier League and Europe tests was the topic of the season. They go to Wolves on Saturday after the highlight of that victory over Celtic on Wednesday, knowing that they had not won after the European match since September.

But in the past few weeks, in which Diego Carlos and Emiliano Buendia also left the building, included an additional distraction of the transition window. How is a man expected to manage all these moving parts that face countless requests?

“Always, football is a time of busy,” says Emery Sky Sports. “Even when you are resting, even when you are on vacation, our mind is always thinking about football, around the team, around the players, around the goals that we can face.”

Another permanent topic of the campaign was how to accommodate Duran along with Ollie Watkins on the villa team. It was a puzzle that Emery had never been able to solve. Their last game together, half an hour in Monaco, was not successful.

Speaking on club training, as screens playing Sky Sports News Talk for interest in Joao Felix, Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, Emery explains her plans for the post-duran life. Do not expect to try to replace the Colombian striker as for Lika.

“We’re in a new way,” he insists. “I exercise how we can play with Donyell Malena. The club works [on players] To join us, but of course, we now have players in the team ready to play, ready to be versatile and play in different positions. “

A small, signing of £ 21m from Borussia Dortmund, he made his debut on the right wing from the West Ham bench, but Emery believes he can use it as an attacker if necessary. Maybe it’s a better solution. Players who can cover Watkins but also play with him.

“Ollie has always been consistent and he can usually play because he is a very strong player, physically, playing 90 minutes in a row games. But of course we have to have one plan B in the event that he is not available in 90 minutes or play some matches.

“But we have players on the team with this possibility. Donyell small and Morgan Rogers played as a striker. Of course, we watch in recent days of transfer, if we can sign the attacker attacker with the ability to be versatile in the attack of the third.”

The versatility was crucial for late. Against West Ham, an injury to Tyrone Mings required Lucas Digne to play as a makeshift central back. Against Celtic, Boubacar Kamara played there with the early release of Matty Casha, forcing Lamare Bogarda on his right back.

“The players we have, I am very proud of how they respond in different circumstances with the level we need to achieve. We attracted ourselves at the West Ham’s home, but we responded very well against Celtic last Wednesday and the answer was quickly coming.

“The most important thing is to react not after, but before they need us, how they are willing to do it. That’s what I’m the most proud of. I feel that players are always open to help and support every decision I have to make.”

Getting more than players is what Emery does. It is worth recalling that the nine initial exhibitions that Beat Celtics was at the club when he arrived in October 2022, and Villa collapsed at the bottom of six Premier League tables. Improves players.

And he repairs them, he preferred to persuade the best of the talent that was not maximized but to take someone with a lower ceiling. This is something that Monchi, a villa president of football operations, refers to addressing Joao Felix and Asensio.

‘Talents’ recovery

Putting Monchi’s comments in Emery, in which he called him the best in “Talents Recovery”, he replies: “We worked in Seville for four years together. He talks about two players, they don’t play at their club consistently, Asensio and Joao Felix.”

“They are potential players, we may add, but we have other players waiting on our list.” The same, of course, could be said about Rashford. “If some of them come, this is my challenge, try to make the most of them and try to be the protagonists with them.

“But I am positive about the procedure, the demand that we face with the players we have. As a team, we have John McGinna from an injury. Jacob Ramsey also, hopefully we will be able to get a consistency for next month as he does not have last year.

“Indeed, this is my motivation, how we can manage the player we have and how we can manage and the goal we have in front of us.” The next goal? Well, that’s simple. Put Europe in the back and beat wolves on Saturday.

“After playing in Europe, the motivation we have to play in the Premier League should be the same. We just have to rest, get a good night’s sleep, recover energy and play. So we want to build our team, our mentality as players, as a team and as a club.

“Of course, you have to enjoy it too. Playing different competitions, matches every few days. We are focused on wolves. That means a lot for supporters. We will try to collectively get the best performances, individually, try to compete and try to win.

“Every match is a challenge. Now the most important is against Wolves. My interest in win is the same as the Champions League. Even more in the Premier League, because through the Premier League we will achieve our goals.”

Watch Wolves vs Aston Villa live in Sky Sports Premier League from 17:00; Beginning 17.30