Yahoo News Robin Olsen, Rogers injury, Brighton and Tottenham - every word from Aston Villa's Unai Emery
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery sat down with the media after his side's 1-0 defeat to Brighton at the Amex.
Joao Pedro scored the only goal of the game in the 88th minute, turning in the rebound after Robin Olsen had saved his penalty. Here is every word Emery said in his post-match press conference...
De Zerbi said your team looked tired, was he right?
“Maybe. Perhaps. It is not an excuse for us [being tired]. Today we lost and we didn’t deserve more. We competed and we were focused trying to compete and stop them. They made more chances than us.
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“Today we needed the goalkeeper and Robin Olsen he played fantastic. Even the penalty he saved. They deserved to score.
“Now the most important thing is to recover. When you are playing lots of matches then there is more risk to get players injured. Like today Morgan.
“It’s tough for the long injured players, but they are not in our mind to play with them. The players with the short injuries like Tielemans, Moreno and Zaniolo, it is very important because we need players fresh as well to mix with matches at the weekend and on a Thursday.
“Even like that, we are being competitive. We played against Arsenal two weeks ago in similar circumstances. Today we had the same idea doing our game plan. We tried to play competing, but we didn’t get a good result and we didn’t deserve more.
“Overall we are being positive. We can proud of the players and the club. The most important thing now is to rest. Do we think about Thursday? No, it is to rest.
“I don’t want to watch anything about Tottenham because them winning or not winning is not in our hands.
“We need to try and manage the matches we will play. It is more difficult now on Thursday against Olympiacos, but we will be there trying to do something different. Then, Villa Park on Monday against Liverpool. We are getting the last moments of the season really with the objective … wow."
What did you make of the penalty Brighton were awarded?
“I watched it. Soft. Always I am very respectful with the referee. Maybe if VAR is reviewing the action then it is difficult. But always I respect it. Even we had a possible penalty in the first half against Morgan Rogers. I watched both and they are similar, even maybe Morgan’s was more clear. But I respect always the referees. Always they are responsible and I accept their decisions."
What does Olsen’s performance say about his mentality?
"Brilliant. Brilliant. He played last week against Chelsea in the first half when we were struggling and we conceded two goals. Even then he saved one point.
"On Thursday we lost and conceded goals, but we had no doubts about him. Today he showed us again. He played fantastic. We were close to drawing because he played fantastic."
What's the latest on Zaniolo?
"He has a small pain. On Thursday he pushed it to help us. This morning he told us he wasn’t feeling good. I appreciate his effort. He needs time to recover. His attitude is fantastic and we will need him in case he gets better. Alex Moreno is coming back, hopefully Youri Tielemans now after Morgan Rogers is out."
Was the penalty decision more frustrating because of how hard your players are working?
"Yes, but always I respect VAR and the referees. Of course, I watched those clips and actions from Morgan Rogers and Adingra. They’re soft, both of them. The referee, maybe it is easier because Adringra had an advantage on Konsa. They are both soft. I am always telling the players, it is easier for us and the players to analyse it on the video. We have to accept it. They can make mistakes."
