- 6 minutes ago
Emery and McGinn on Barcelona - Aston Villa Champions League group game
02/11/2026
Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
02/11/2026
Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:16Good evening. Thanks for coming along. We'll work our way around as many people as possible
00:22in the room taking questions in both Spanish and English. If you raise your hand please
00:28and when we come to you just give us your name and the name of the publication you
00:34work for please. Thank you.
00:45Thank you. Good evening coach in Switzerland. Sorry, Blue Sports TV Switzerland. In our
00:55country we have now a Manzombi mania since this summer with the World Cup. And yes, Villapark
01:04after just a few months already seems to love him just as much. And you, Mr. Emery, what
01:14do you particularly appreciate about Johan Manzombi? And in your opinion, which position
01:20on the pitch best suits his qualities. Thank you. Good evening. Manzombi is a young talent.
01:30And so how he's progressing, how he's adapting to us is really very good. He has qualities,
01:42skills. He has mentality. And his progression is being well. He was injured and now he's getting
01:54better understanding how we want to play. And he can play being versatile in different positions
02:03in attacking third. So now how he's playing, how he's showing his qualities is something we are building.
02:17And, of course, still work to do to get more.
02:25How are you, Mr. Emery? Good evening. Jordi Grau for TV3. Welcome to Barcelona again. I wanted to ask you,
02:32in the last
02:32few months, we have partidos against Paris Saint-Germain and against Real Madrid, tanto Luis Enrique
02:36como Mourinho, a través de la intención de tener la pelota y de marcajes al hombre, prácticamente
02:42a todo el campo, pero especialmente en el centro del campo, le complicaron muchísimo la vida
02:46al Barcelona. Quería saber cuál es su plan para mañana. Buenas noches. Bueno, siempre
02:54es un placer venir aquí a Barcelona a jugar contra el Barcelona o contra el Espanyol. Eso
02:58quiere decir que estamos en la élite. Entonces, el Barcelona es el favorito para ganar esta
03:06competición. Podemos coger cinco equipos con la mano y uno y ese es el Barcelona. ¿Cómo
03:13transcurre la fase previa de entrar en las siguientes eliminatorias para quedar entre los ocho
03:19primeros? Es una competición nueva en ese sentido y tienes que evitar sorpresas. Entonces,
03:29lógicamente, pues hay momentos de la temporada donde vas creando, construyendo, haciendo
03:35un camino, pero teniendo claro que la segunda parte de la temporada es donde tiene que decidirse
03:43las cosas. Pero si en la primera parte dejas algunas cosas, pues igual no llegas. Entonces,
03:48eso ya los equipos favoritos para esta competición lo están teniendo en cuenta. Entonces, el Barcelona
03:54ahora mismo tiene seis puntos, otros nueve. Han perdido un partido contra el PSG. A nivel
03:59táctico, jugar contra el PSG es lo que el PSG te demanda y lo que tú eres capaz de demandar.
04:04Al final, era un partido de tú a tú. Y en ese partido de tú a tú y dos equipos,
04:08los
04:08dos favoritos quizá, los más favoritos para ganar esta competición, pues se decantó del
04:14lado del PSG, jugando en su estadio, con esa ventaja que puede tener también el jugar en París. Y
04:23contra el Real Madrid, bueno, fue un partido diferente. Fue un partido diferente. El planteamiento
04:30táctico del Real Madrid fue diferente al del PSG. También fue aquí. Entonces, nosotros tenemos que
04:34encontrar nuestra personalidad y tenemos que ser capaces de jugar con nuestro plan de juego, con
04:38nuestras cualidades. Sacar de explotar el máximo desde lo colectivo a lo individual. Somos un equipo
04:46que trata de estar organizado. Somos un equipo que trata de explotar nuestras cualidades dentro de un
04:50contexto genérico. Y a la vez, el Barcelona nos va a exigir. Y cuántos seamos capaces en esa
04:56exigencia de adaptarnos y de enfrentarlos, pues también está el partido. Pero va a ser un partido
05:01diferente al del PSG, diferente al del Real Madrid. Y nosotros tenemos que hacer el nuestro.
05:08Good evening, John Townley from the Birmingham Mail. A question for John, please. Have
05:13you ever been to this stadium before? Once. And I actually checked yesterday because I used
05:23to go on my holidays in Porto Ventura in Salud. And I was here for the stadium tour the day
05:29that Ricardo Carisma signed for Barcelona. So I think I was eight years old and I remember
05:35it as the day Carisma signed for Barcelona. So I've never been since, but tomorrow night
05:40I'll be excited to represent Aston Villa on the biggest stage.
05:52Hi, John. John Murray, BBC. When you came to speak to us just before the Super Cup, you were
05:58talking about how excited you were about what you called Villa 2.0, I think. How do you
06:03think it's going?
06:05Slightly better than what some people envisaged. But I've got to give credit to the new players.
06:12It was a very, very difficult start. A lot of change, a lot of information that they had
06:18to take in. But they've adapted well. I think they realise the structure that we've built
06:24in the four years that the manager's been here gives players the best possible chance to show
06:30their capacity. And I think we're seeing that with some of the new players playing with much
06:36more confidence, but most importantly, playing for the team. And our success over the past
06:42four years is no one player is bigger than the other. We play as a team, we defend as a
06:48team and we attack as a team. So the new players are taking a lot of information on board and
06:55we're starting to gel as a team. It's very exciting, but we need to keep going and we have a
07:00demanding
07:01manager, demanding coaching staff who won't let us stop and be comfortable.
07:08Question for Unai, Charlie Wyatt from The Sun. Could you reflect on some of your experiences
07:14in games here in Barcelona and are they of any use at all when you will talk to the players
07:21ahead of this game?
07:31Usually, in my experiences, they were giving me a lot of information to learn, to get better,
07:42to try to identify for the next matches I am facing. And with the players, we are speaking
07:51about our experiences together. So we have our experiences in Europe, in Champions League
07:59two years ago. This year, we are playing as well in Champions League. We played three matches
08:05and we won three matches and we did our work fantastic. Tomorrow, we are facing one of the
08:11favorite teams to win this competition. So the challenge is a huge challenge tomorrow.
08:17Maybe for this Champions League is the much more difficult we are going to face tomorrow against
08:24Barcelona here. But we are confident how we are building the team, how we are competing,
08:31how we are getting our experiences, how we are facing teams like Barcelona in Premier League
08:37and in Champions League competition. Even in Europe League, you can play as well matches
08:44last year against teams like Barcelona. So how we are here progressing, understanding our way,
08:52setting our demands, being competing in the level we are, to keep this level, this is the challenge
08:59we have. And tomorrow, the experience we are going to use collectively is our own experiences.
09:06And try to get another experience tomorrow here. How they are going to feel the players on the field,
09:13how we are going to feel collectively comfortable more or less, confident more or less, with our capacity
09:20to respond in their demands, collectively individually. So it is a really exciting match we will play tomorrow.
09:33It is Mike Taylor from BBC Midlands. John, for you and those of your teammates who were there in the
09:40Championship days, you have kind of had the same journey as a lot of the fans that I know you
09:44are very close to.
09:45They have got a tremendous excitement, not surprisingly, about coming to a place like this.
09:51Do you share that feeling with them?
09:56You would lie and say no. But of course, I am 32 years old, but the trajectory of this club
10:03is allowing me
10:05to dream the same way I dreamed since I was 9, 10, 11, to play in front of the biggest
10:11crowds in the biggest arenas.
10:15And obviously, this is a very historic stadium. But what the club are trying to do now is make this
10:22normal,
10:23make this a yearly experience, and make Aston Villa compete with the best in England and the best in Europe.
10:30So it's a pleasure to be on this journey with the supporters. I'm sure they'll enjoy tonight and tomorrow.
10:37But us as professionals, we'll only enjoy the experience if we have three points.
10:41And that's what we'll be trying to do tomorrow.
10:47Hello.
10:48Hello.
10:49I'm here to your right.
10:50I'm Ruziar Busada, of Catalonia Radio.
10:52You said that the Barça is a favorite, but how have you seen its evolution since the first day
10:57of the team of Flick? It's true that he has suffered from the last few games.
11:03Do you see a team between that and the last few games more vulnerable than the beginning of the season?
11:07Adam, thanks.
11:10Well, the Barcelona always part as a favorite of this competition.
11:16We also have a history in the Aston Villa in this competition.
11:21In 1982, when the Champions League came out, called the Europa Copa.
11:27And we're enjoying now the power of removering with our fans to play this competition and try to repeat.
11:37So, the favoritism of the Barcelona is for the present and for the fact in this last decade.
11:45So, now, how can they confirm that favoritism?
11:49It's playing in their best version.
11:51Playing in their best version, they are capable of batting a any team.
11:58Now, how are they facing rivals of that high level that they will have to face to win this competition?
12:06Well, we are talking about those examples.
12:09That one is PSG, playing in their field.
12:12It's a game that, at the moment, is equal, at the moment, is very open.
12:17Playing in Paris, always the way that you play with your public,
12:22perhaps, you can't do the balance for something else and be able to have more players or more players.
12:30It's true that it was a player, but it was a very high level of Barcelona and PSG.
12:36And the game against Real Madrid was a different game,
12:41against Real Madrid was also a favorite game for this competition,
12:44where we saw a Barcelona that maybe needs some adjustments to certain things
12:50or some players that are lesionados that come back.
12:52But they will return and they will be able to play and this Barcelona will be able to play
12:56how they play and they will have the players individually of that level to mark differences.
13:00The fichage, Rodri, comes to that direction.
13:03We can talk about the best centrocampist in the world.
13:06And, with Pedri, with Fermin or Olme,
13:09that's been lesionado,
13:10they have a centrocampo that is very difficult to igual.
13:13And then, at the point of the attack,
13:15there are three players that have few teams that have that level in the attack.
13:20So, from the porterhouse, how they can build the team,
13:24how they can play games in all the fields in the field,
13:31and maintain the line at high level,
13:32and be able to raise that level,
13:34that is something that is the flag of Flick.
13:36But these years they have done it.
13:38So, we are a team that we are trying to find a way,
13:46a way consistent to Europe, to Champions League.
13:50Four years that we have been together there,
13:52we have been able to play Champions League,
13:54we have been able to play octavos,
13:56no, cuartos,
13:57sorry, against the PSG,
13:58we have two years.
13:59Well, we are constantly looking for new retos.
14:04And how we are able to respond to the teams
14:07like the Barcelona tomorrow.
14:08So, tomorrow we are able to see how we are able to face them
14:10and see what distance we are.
14:12Now, they are favourites,
14:14and that we understand,
14:16and from there,
14:17we have our path.
14:18But the Barcelona,
14:19well,
14:19everything that no is to win,
14:20well,
14:21for them,
14:22it is something that always makes them do,
14:25like to all of them,
14:25but maybe they,
14:26being favourites to win the League,
14:28or being favourites to win the Champions
14:29with other four teams,
14:31well,
14:31they have that greater need.
14:36Yes,
14:36Unai,
14:37here at your right,
14:37Joseph Soldado,
14:38for the sixth.
14:40You lived and you suffered
14:41in the time of the Messi,
14:43with several clubs.
14:45Now,
14:46there is no Messi,
14:47here is a little reincarnation,
14:48that is the Min Yamal,
14:50in that sense,
14:51you see things of the Argentine,
14:53and you think it may be tomorrow
14:55the one that may be a little bit of the night here?
14:58Well,
14:59they have,
15:00yes,
15:00well,
15:00well,
15:01maybe the player,
15:02right now,
15:03where you can find
15:04that maximum
15:07of what is
15:08come to be the best player in the world,
15:10you know,
15:10but they are missing details,
15:11but they are in that direction.
15:13But then they have a very complete team,
15:15with young players also,
15:17that have a tremendous potential
15:18and that will have to have to have experience
15:21to be able to be able to consagrarse,
15:22but they are already
15:23good players
15:27and playing this level.
15:28And then they have players
15:30is that they give a great personality to this team.
15:32I would like to talk about Rodri and Rafinha.
15:35It's very strong.
15:37Then, Cancelo is also playing a high level.
15:40The Porto has been consagrated in the porter.
15:42They have Gordon, which gives a tremendous speed
15:45and a lot of work on the left side.
15:48They have a player of enlaces like Pedri, like Fermín,
15:53for different things, too, of high level.
15:56So, I see that Barcelona and I see also...
16:00Well, here has been a Barcelona of Guardiola, of Luis Enrique,
16:04a Barcelona of Messi, a Neymar and Suárez.
16:08But now they are in the process, even with the stadium.
16:10The stadium will also be a new stadium, in the same place,
16:14which will give another plus to this Barcelona,
16:17which has already been in the same way.
16:22What's up?
16:23Good afternoon. My question is for the player.
16:26I would like to know, in the line of what he said,
16:30what he said, in the line of what he said,
16:34what players you want to face in the vestuario
16:37these days prior to the game?
16:39Have there been any names that have sounded more?
16:43For example, Lamin Jamal, Rodrigo, Rafinha...
16:46Who will you talk more about the games that tomorrow
16:49will be in the game?
16:51Thanks.
16:54We haven't actually been talking about anyone in particular.
17:00They have world-class players and they're starting to live in world-class players
17:03on the subs bench.
17:05We have played against Cancelo, Rafinha, Anthony Gordon, Rodri in the Premier League
17:12and we experienced their qualities.
17:16Not only do they possess amazing ability,
17:19the thing that impressed me most with all players was their humility to work for the team.
17:26And I think that's the biggest credit.
17:29When we watch Barcelona, they all work hard for the team.
17:32They seem to have maybe more togetherness than what they've had maybe some years ago.
17:42But we haven't had the time to speak about this match.
17:46We were focusing on a busy schedule.
17:49We recovered Sunday and we travelled today.
17:52So we'll respect the players they have,
17:55players who can hurt us from anywhere on the pitch, world-class players.
18:00But we have our own players who can cause damage to Barcelona as well.
18:06Thank you, everyone.
18:08Oh, on you go, John.
18:14Hi, John Percy, Telegraph.
18:15It's a question for Unai.
18:16Unai, you've obviously managed for over 1,000 games,
18:18enjoyed so much success in your career.
18:21Can you ever remember a game like the one here 10 years ago in La Rementada?
18:26I mean, it was a remarkable game.
18:27What are your memories of that and what did you take from that as a manager?
18:31One more.
18:33One more.
18:34One much more.
18:36Everything happening in that match, we know.
18:41I learned in my career, I am coaching.
18:47I started 2006, 20 years.
18:51No, 2004, 22 years in a row.
18:55I'm playing in Europe 60 years in a row.
18:59Different competition, Champions League, EuroLeague or Conference League.
19:05And I've learned in all the competition, in the matches.
19:09And in that match, I have learned so, so much.
19:12One, sports side.
19:14And another, not a sports side.
19:18The necessary B.A.R. for football in that moment.
19:22The necessary B.A.R.
19:26Thanks, everyone.
19:29See you tomorrow.
19:29See you tomorrow.
19:30See you tomorrow.
19:30See you tomorrow.
19:31See you tomorrow.
19:31See you tomorrow.
19:31See you tomorrow.
19:31See you tomorrow.
19:31See you tomorrow.
19:32See you tomorrow.
19:32See you tomorrow.
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