
The Basque manager underlines the importance of the LaLiga match, before returning to Champions League action
Villarreal head coach Unai Emery appeared in front of the media ahead of the LaLiga Santander game against Sevilla FC, which will take place at 2pm CET at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. These are the standout comments from the Basque manager
The opposition
“The upcoming game is an opportunity and we need to use those 90 minutes to consolidate certain positive things and improve overs against a Sevilla side that have improved a lot. They’re a team that have consolidated themselves in the fight for the Champions League spots. For us, moving closer to teams like Sevilla is a challenge, and it’s something exciting to try and beat them. Against teams like them, we’ve put in good performances but we’ve not got results. We need to find efficiency in the opposition box.”
The match
“We need to adapt to the opposition, both in defence and in attack, and impose the tempo we want throughout. We also want to impose our abilities, and have the ball while being capable of hurting them.”
The table
“The table is there, and after 38 games, it will show the position each team deserves. Now, we’re not where we want to be. We’re going into the game with three points up for grabs. We’re focused on ourselves, to continue creating and generating trust in the team to be more consistent. When we strengthen certain aspects, you will see that in the games and when you look at the table.”
A crucial match before the Champions League
“On Wednesday we have an important Champions League match. Both Sevilla and ourselves will represent Spanish football in Europe this week, but we both know the importance of LaLiga to stay in European competition.”
The team
“The team is going into the match in a good place in terms of morale, in terms of work, hoping things turn out how we want them to, and we’re aware that we want to be more consistent. It’s a demanding season, and we are frustrated. We need to improve on that, because that’s one of the reasons we’ve dropped points.”