Arsenal press conference LIVE - Latest updates from Unai Emery: Europa League, Mesut Ozil and Reiss Nelson
Join us for live coverage as new Arsenal manager Unai Emery faces the press ahead of the club’s trip to Cardiff City on Sunday.
Arsenal enjoyed their first victory under Unai Emery last weekend and the Gunners will be looking to head into the international break on a high when they travel to Wales this weekend.
Emery will likely be asked questions on that performances, while you can bet the likes of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and today’s Europa League group stage draw will all be on the agenda. Follow live coverage below.
The situation is different [than it was at Sevilla]. I have learnt from every moment in my career. And now I want to continue improving, each match I think of as 90 minutes against the opposition. I have respect for the opposition but we look to improve with each match. We think match to match and Sunday is an important match for us. They will be tough at their stadium.
How close is Lucas Torreira to starting his first match?
I am very happy with the player and I think every player can play. They also are working very well every day and demanding me with their works, to start the games. I like this spirit and also the possibility to play for the first 11 is okay. Then there is a possibility to stay in the match and then play. Every player, I am really, really very happy with how they are working and not only with Lucas, but for all.
Has Emery banned fruit juice from the club's training ground?
Yes, this is true. I only changed, I like fruit a lot and I like fruit juice. But with a lot of sugar? Not very well. It’s for that and when I was very young, my father was coming every day with one fresh orange fruit juice. I like in my life, more of that. It’s for that, when I arrived here, I asked only for that from the cook. And the players, I think, are the same. They prefer their orange juice fresh.
I think it’s not a possibility for more than one player to leave. Maybe young players there will be possibilities. Only one young player for the same situation with Reiss to take minutes at a big level.
It’s a very big chance for him and the level there is important. We think he needs, because he is very young, he needs to take a new level to play, a new level also to take minutes, to take experience and it’s for that reason we were speaking at the club with the coaches about this possibility. And also, with him, we decided together: club, coaches and the player. It’s a good chance for him to take minutes in and play, and then come back with us because I think he is signing a new contract with us.
I know there are lots of journalists who are working in the TV and the media. The news is not true. In my career, I do not stop for news when it’s not true. When the news isn’t true, it isn’t true.
He’s training normally with the group, in every session this week. We started on Tuesday and every day he has been training with the group. He’s OK. Also I’m looking at him well every day.
When you play two matches in a week, you have more time to prepare for the matches, to prepare the players physically. When you play three matches in a week, it’s hard. There’s less time to prepare for the match and work physically, but we want it like that. We want to play three matches in a week with the league and the cups. After the international break, we are going to play a lot of matches. In this moment, we are not playing every player in this squad because we’re only playing one match every week. But I am sure we’re going to use a lot of players after this international break.
First it’s three teams and we’ll have the recipe for them. After this, we want to go far in this competition. Each match is different and each match involves a lot of travel. For some, the travel is very long but it’s like that. The adaptation for these three teams needs to be positive and we need to face them with ambition and our interest to do well in the competition.
Good afternoon. It’s a lot [to take in] but it’s usually the things we need because we’ve only played three games. The pre-season is important but we didn’t have every player. After, we need to know the combinations with the players. We want to do the high pressing against the opposition. Then after this game I analysed it with the players.
We started the match well but then we lost the control for moments in the game. Then we finished the last 20 minutes really well. I am very, very happy firstly with the three points but then also how the team worked to win this match and how we finished the last few minutes. I want to continue that in the next match this Sunday against Cardiff, a different game, but just to continue our momentum.
We're getting closer to the Europa League group stage draw!
The assembled suits and bigwigs are currently taking up their seats in Monte Carlo, Monaco and it's almost time to find out which tiny Eastern European nation Arsenal will be travelling to this year.
