Unai Emery faced the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of Aston Villa's trip to Goodison Park to face Everton this weekend.
Villa's head coach held his regular pre-match press conference at Bodymoor Heath and discussed Ollie Watkins' fine goalscoring form, his side's response to defeat against Arsenal, what he expects from the Toffees and much more.
Here’s what he had to say…
On Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey…
“We are trying with Ollie, to help him, to support him, to improve, to take confidence.
“We practice a lot, offensively and defensively, and of course we have to take a balance.
“Some players, maybe they are taking it better than others, and one is Ollie Watkins.
“Every day he is working very, very well and trying to improve, practicing a lot.
“He has ambition, and he is a good example for everybody.
“And then as well, Leon Bailey is working well. We are trying with him to find his best position on the pitch, defensively and offensively.
“He has as well, ambition and determination to try to get his best performances and each match is an opportunity for him.
“On Saturday we are going to try again as a team to get a good performance.”
On Emi Martínez…
“He is a very good guy, he is a very good goalkeeper.
“He improves a lot, he now has experience – he is the best, no? He is the best goalkeeper for us.
“We have to enjoy with him. He is very committed with us, with Aston Villa.
“And now, more even than before, because he won the World Cup. And for him, it’s very important.
“But he knows as well, his new challenge, is now with this club because this club signed him three years ago.
“That is the reason he is, as well, very happy.
“My conversation with him is around how we can do something together and the challenge for him now is here.
“And to try to do, in the next matches, the next year, this project, improving and trying to use his experience helping other players, helping the club, helping to support Aston Villa.”
On facing Everton…
“It will be a very difficult match and, away (from home), we are being competitive.
“We didn’t play like we were doing against Manchester City but, again, we have to remember how we can be competitive, how we can be disciplined, how we can be threatening.
“We are trying to take the balance at home, away, but we are not doing really.
“Of course, we are going to prepare for each match, focus for each match, trying to continue to create our identity and winning mentality.
“Trying to push everybody to be focused for 90 minutes each match.
“And against Everton, we have to be defensively strong, offensively very focused how we can face them.
“I think now, they are confident at home, they have won the last two matches at home, with their supporters.
“And, of course, they are behind us in the table, but there is not a lot of difference between both.
“We have to continue trying to escape from the bottom.
“It’s a very, very important match on Saturday.”
