Arsenal won’t feel pressure says Aston Villa boss Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery doesn’t think Arsenal’s recent run of form will put any more pressure on them, or give his team an advantage.
The Gunners are now second in the Premier League on goal difference to Manchester City, after losing at home to them on Wednesday.
But Emery said Arsenal are always dangerous in any given game and are more than capable of bouncing back from their run of three games without a win, four including the FA Cup where they again lost to City.
Ahead of today’s lunchtime kick-off, he said: “They probably haven’t been in the best of form lately but they have been top most of the season and I think they are more than capable of dealing with it.
“Whenever you play Arsenal you need to be 100 per cent on your game and you know it is going to be a really tough game.
“Mikel (Atrteta) has done an excellent job with them, he will have them firing on all cylinders and they have an awesome squad which is capable of winning any game.
“We are playing an Arsenal side who are fighting Manchester City for the Premier League title – after a long, long time, they are excited about that possibility. If anything, we have to guard against a backlash effect where they will be desperate to get back on track in terms of winning games. We have to be fully prepared for that and will be.”
Emery was in charge at the Emirates for 18 months from May 2018, taking them to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League and a Europa League final.
On his time there, Emery said: “I was there and of course those were very good experiences for me, but I played Arsenal two years ago in the Europa League, so I am used to now being in opposition.
“It didn’t finish the way I wanted at Arsenal, but I learned a lot and I am grateful to the owner, the supporters and with the club who treated me with respect.
“Now I have a new challenge with Aston Villa and again, I am so grateful to the supporters, the owners, the players and everybody at the club for the welcome they have given me – my priority is to bring success to them.”
In team news, Diego Carlos is back in training but will not be involved in the Arsenal game but Bertrand Traore will be in the squad.
