Unai Emery: “A lot of times I tell myself, Unai wins until they believe you, until they follow you, until they respect you”

And theOn the TV screen in the back of the desk Unai Emery Heroes are drawn. they Aston Villa is not yet involved in those fights. The technician takes a look at the latest papers from his team. We will record. But then there’s a knock on the door Coutinho to speak with the president. The first is the first. After talking to the Brazilian, it’s our turn. It’s his first interview since taking over as bad guys in Birmingham. He talks to Marca with the calmness and happiness that gave him his first victory of his era against United at home, Something they haven’t seen in Villa Park in decades.

A question. Who convinced you to sign with Aston Villa?

Response. “I had my first meeting with the president of the Egyptian club, Nassef Sawiris, and he always spoke to me in the first person, but always with the support of his partner Wesley Edens (owner of the Milwaukee Bucks). The Aston Villa project for the history and the present and what he wanted to build and what he saw in me. What I was able to do. He convinced me. He is an ambitious man of his word and has the conviction of the credibility I have as a coach. He also has the approval of his partner, Christian and Johan responsible for every single day. And as a coach, I need someone who looks me in the eye and expresses the respect for the coach that I am.”

Q: You’ve never been tied to a comfort zone

R. All the steps I took were from a professional point of view. Everywhere I was, it was to take a piece of the heart. player and coach. I’ve always been clear about the step I was taking. When he achieves goals, he develops. I need to feel that there is a professional challenge. I was very happy with Villarreal achieving their professional goals. There have been successes, but going out is a professional thing as I appreciate the challenge I face in the future with the person knocking on my door. I always care about the person who knocks on my door and then listen or not. Aston Villa makes me return to the Premier League, and challenges me to take steps in such a competitive league. I can make a team to go back to Europe.”

Always another challenge

He broke emotional and emotional barriers multiple times. Decisions are made from the coldness of the profession that is sometimes above emotional.

P. Personal revenge with the Prime Minister?

R. I am better prepared for a new challenge in the Prime Minister. I already have a year and four months of experience in this league. I think my first year at Arsenal was nice. I broke down because of a few things I’ve outlined that I will now try to avoid. I’ve always had an internal goal of getting a new chance and coming back better and I think I at Villarreal gained continuity that led them to call me back from England. It’s more of a challenge than a rematch. I had to accept it as something very professional.”

Q: Building from scratch.

A: The construction process is very beautiful but very complex. Pass on your knowledge and that there is a progressive performance in the team and they are convinced and your followers… when you get it, that’s great. In Villarreal I got it. Here I want to build something similar. The base point must be very strong in belief in the project.

P. What would you say to someone who says it is just a matter of money?

R. The word professional includes many things. My passion for football. I live comfortably on the grass. Being a professional includes many things.

P. The first match and 42,000 spectators in the stadium. This is pressure from an entire city and a huge club.

R. The prime minister has a well-established sense of belonging. Those from Birmingham are the majority of Aston Villa. They introduce themselves and are present on a daily basis. Prime attracts as the main center of football in the world. This makes the biggest investors in football focus here. It is a huge responsibility. I love her. I want to know what I can do. This responsibility appeals to me.”

Q: Attackers will lick their lips.

R. I like to extend the challenges to the players. You have to talk about challenges that might be impossible to achieve. You have to create situations so that the attackers in this case can score goals. Negredo, Bacca, Soldier, Aduriz, Villa, Cavani, Aubameyang, Gerard…also in other goals such as reaching his team’s calling.”

P. How was your first conversation with the team?

R. Being a coach is a position in which it can be a strength or a weakness. I’ve been fortunate to be in a strong position on many occasions, but I like to remember when I wasn’t. The key is the locker room, guys. The moment you are strong and have credibility in your work and the players believe you are the boss and the leader, they put the focus of respect on you. There are times when you say: Unai wins until he believes you, wins until he follows you, wins until he respects you. This never stops. But from the very beginning they see something in front of them that can be recognized from the path. Now they have to tighten up and get better every day. Now we have to do our best.”

Q: What power was given to you?

R. On day one everyone respects you, then on day 100 the percentage varies. When you’ve been there for a year, if you arrive, respect is created. Respect must be earned every day. May your message be fair, grow, to install values. I know I respect. I don’t buy easy flattery. I’d rather they don’t speak well of me at first and speak poorly of me in five months. The most important thing is that they give you respect and you earn it. I want to stay here for a long time.”

P. Short term reinforcements.

R. We should also talk about respecting the players. There are underperforming players here. I want to give them the opportunity to help them improve and improve their performance. But we have to be professional and see if we are right about the changes we have to make. You have to be very demanding with changes. We want to improve the team and make the right decisions with new players. The template can be improved. We are convinced that we will be able to do that.”

P. Can they calm down at Villarreal with the inclusion of Aston Villa?

R. Villarreal has challenging goals and they have achieved them. The best thing about Villarreal is creating a winning team. Abroad you give you huge esteem and in Europe you are highly respected. The professionals inside have this recognition. Also the players. The context of Villarreal and Aston Villa must be put in place. My goal is not to bring players from Villarreal, it’s to bring the concept that we created at Villarreal. From there, if a player suits us and we can do that, we’ll make the move.”

Q: Where can Vilarreal go?

R. Historically, some teams like Leicester have done just that. Everyone has his story. Aston Villa have already won the Champions League. We empower ourselves. Chelsea, Arsenal did it…the two boxers fantasized about taking a step forward. We have joined our paths for that.

P. Do you look at Villarreal with suspicion?

R. I worked very comfortably, in a family environment and with great professionals. I was part of the build process. The credibility of the Roig family is immense and the security they provide for the current and future project is assured. Their leaders have the experience to continue a very strong and stable project.”