Unai Emery says Arsenal will approach tomorrow’s Europa League semi-final first leg with Valencia with one eye on the return match as the Gunners look to progress to a first European final in 13 years.
The Spaniard, who won the competition three times with Sevilla, has urged his players to deliver a focused performance at the Emirates knowing full well that his former club will fancy their chances on home turf against a squad who’ve struggled on their travels this season.
“You need to play 90 minutes thinking we are going to play another 90 minutes,” he told his pre-game press conference.
“It is not all finished tomorrow. If you can win, it’s good, if you can win without conceding a goal, it’s perfect.
“We need to manage 90 minutes and be solid, be strong and be clear in our minds with the possibilities with the result. Our idea tomorrow is to win.”
Asked how his team lift their spirits after three consecutive defeats, Emery replied, “we need to be very focused on this round. We are also in the Premier League with our possibilities for top four.
“I think we are in a great moment to enjoy working, working hard, focusing hard on our mindset to each moment and each moment is to do the training, tomorrow the match.
“I think the players are very concentrated and very focused for that, today the training was good and I am positive with the players, with the team, for our moment.”
We don’t have a good head-to-head record with Valencia. The Spaniards beat us in the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup on penalties in 1980, knocked us out at the quarter-final stage of the 2000/01 Champions League on away goals and beat us in 2002/03 to advance from the Champions League second group stage in our place. Basically, we owe them some pain.
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Need to approch this game Nike the napoli one home and away. We need to win this to be able to buy good players in the summer. COYG
I thought that too – but if we have such a limited budget as most people are saying (£40mill) I don’t think it will matter much if we qualify for Champions League or not. For that budget and given that we need several players – I don’t think the kind of players we can afford will be demanding Champions League footie. Anyway good luck to the Gunners for tonight.
Erm, we’ll have more money if we get CL football. The club operates on amortised payments for player purchases so we don’t need to be paid CL money straight away to “have” it.
Can we support Emery please , and avoid hysteria.
To the “get him out “ people I will just say ……Moyes, Van Gaal, Mourinho, Solskjaer…..and they’re still in trouble.
Despite the fact he inherited an unbalanced squad, suffered key injuries, we are going into a European semi final.
It’s funny how quickly the narrative changes in the press. Obvs the last 5 games are an abomination for a club like arsenal. But the press smell blood and start printing stories like “players don’t understand emery’s tactics” “kroenke doesn’t trust Emery with transfer kitty” and revisiting his Barcelona capitulation and his poor away form at Seville. A manager once said you’re only three games away from the sack in football. Maybe that’s not true in emery’s case but you’re certainly only three games away from the media reshaping their narrative and making you out to be an incompetent clown.… Read more »
Absolutely — we need to support the manager and the team, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be held accountable for some serious failings thus far this season, and not unduly praised for what has been pretty status quo at Arsenal for a long time. We reached a European semi-final last season, so hopefully Emery can push us on a bit in that competition as I fear we’ve done ourselves in for the top four race.
Yeah.. Bellerin and Holding in particular definitely hurt.
Yes, the attack of Rashford on Holding was just a few days after that glorious NLD and with him out and a short while later Bellerin you could basically see the wheels coming off. And now it happened with Ramsey missing for the last few games. Thing is: back in the Wenger days arguments as this were shouted down as ´EXCUSES´, but they were and are true nonetheless. Our ´til then great season in 2015/16 collapsed when first Cazorla and then Sanchez had to be replaced. And the club as a whole has not recovered since then from that injury… Read more »
I am sorry but Bellerin would have capitulated with the team like he always did. Remember the return game against Atletico in Europa League semi where he was the worst player on the pitch ? He was saying before the game they would win it for Wenger. Fans here even say Bellerin would get into Man City team. Spain national team has weakened a lot the last few years and he never managed to get in it.
Some people don’t like him because there is a clear trend in his career wherever he’s gone that he’s also brought to Arsenal.
Oh yeah…….and I am not paranoid but it helps.
Bamford………”professional deception” , I believe the FA called it. He gets a ban, Villa’s player has his ban rescinded. Consider Maddison and Maitland Niles……..joke!
A win and a clean sheet would be more like a fucking miracle after the rubbish displays of this week. I’d love to see it. But it feels like this is just preparation for the usual post match press platitudes about “mental strengff” etc. I so hope I’m wrong.
A pony and a billion dollars would also be perfect.
Stick those dummies in the first XI.Reckon will have a better chance of winning that way.
Sack this small-minded tunnel visionar. Enough of his bullshit. #EmeryOut now.
Don’t talk utter rubbish. His first season has seen an improvement. A knee jerk reaction because of a very bad week. What a toxic support met you are
Nice autocorrection
Well I kinda suspect tomorrow might be a disappointment, what with the shockers recently, but I’d like to thank Ajax and Barcelona for putting a smile on my face over the past few days – just think, Liverplop and Spuds could have their best seasons in years and still win jack!!! Whilst we are still in a process of redevelopment and could actually win the Europa cup – not that I’ll hold my breath on that one, but would love it to happen lol a man can dream!!!
What would be nice is for the players to give a shit, and try harder. Very disappointing how mentally weak and fragile we have become as a team when it really matters. I am still shocked how we ended up in top 6, and had that unbeaten run. Smh
Everyone needs to realise we are still a work in progress. When the season started I remember everyone on here have low expectations saying if we are within 5points in Emery’s first season it will be remarkable and that we should allow him time.
Emery has so far done better than we expected given the showings of the previous season. It’s quite sad really because I remember Arsene saying he wanted to leave the next manager after him with a good squad.
We are a work in progress, and Emery needs support and more time to fashion the team into his own image, but he needs to feel the heat and the pressure to get Arsenal back into competing for the big prizes now, and we cannot simply praise improvement when the same failings are all too evident. Two weeks ago we looked ready to knock Sp*rs down the table and lock ourselves into third spot, and now we’re an outside chance for the top four, again, and Emery’s hand in those costly losses was deeply red. Calls for him to be… Read more »
im usually always wrong!
But i cant see us winning another game this season.
Lets hope i stay true to form
I’d relax if we won 4 nil. ?