The sports director ofAston Villa Monchi gave a long interview to Sky Sport: “We are happy, we started the championship well. We are happy with what we are doing here at Aston Villa”.
Emery the perfect call
“Yes, something has changed in the last two years after his arrival. At that time the team was in difficulty and now we are fighting with the strongest clubs, our coach has done something good. He is the true protagonist of this miracle” .
Can you tell us something about Emery that we don’t know?
“He is very demanding, he is the first to arrive at the sports center and the last to leave. He works a lot, but he also manages the off-field activities very well: his work in the locker room, with the group, is also very important.”
What is your relationship? Did you grow up together?
“We worked three and a half years together at Sevilla, winning three Europa Leagues in a row and qualifying for the Champions League. I am happy to work with him because I have always grown from a professional point of view and I have found success. He works a lot, but above all he has a important honesty. He works a lot on the video even after training: it’s difficult to say just one quality about Unai, he is a constantly evolving coach and compared to the coach of six years ago he is a different coach.”
Seville, Rome and then the Premier League. What is the biggest difficulty you feel when arriving in England?
“It’s not much, in the end I do the same job. It’s true that here the figure of the sporting director is a little different because the person in charge is the coach, the manager. I’m behind the scenes and I can do more of this which I like. In fifteen months I have done 3-4 interviews and the relationship with the fans is also better for me because I believe I can add more things to the team differences, but I can say that I am very happy to work in the Premier League and at Aston Villa.”
And then you have a very important cheer
“Now we’re talking about big sixbut Aston Villa is one of the strongest teams in English football. We have lots of fans, when we go away to play we always find lots of fans. It’s nice: we haven’t played in Europe for many years and they are an extra motivation to find success.”
Among your fans also Prince Williams. Did you happen to talk to us?
“Yes, he is a regular at Villa Park, he always comes to watch Aston Villa matches. He talks to Unai, he talks to the players and he talks to me: he is a true Aston Villa fan and he is happy with the moment we are experiencing” .
Did you expect such a good start?
“But perhaps we are missing a few points, in the last two games we would have deserved more. However, it is difficult to play the Champions League and the Premier League: in Europe we are doing very well, we have won two games. But now seven complicated games await us.”
It was an eventful summer for Duran: Chelsea and West Ham wanted him
“We have two very strong strikers, him and Watkins. Duran wanted to play more minutes and we needed to sell a player due to FFP, but without an important offer we were convinced he would stay here. Emery has a lot of faith in him: some offers have arrived , there were meetings, but the amount we asked for did not arrive.”
Against Bologna you are the favourites
“Being favorite or not doesn’t change anything, everyone can think what they want. Our start to the season was good, Bologna’s was so-so but it will 100% be a difficult challenge. It’s true that playing at Villa Park we will have a small advantage, but in the end it’s a Champions League match and they’re all difficult.”
What is your relationship with Giovanni Sartori?
“A very good relationship, when I was at Roma he was at Atalanta. This summer we loaned Iling-Junior to Bologna.”
Then he will also challenge Juventus and therefore Douglas Luiz
“He is good, he is strong. For us last year he was a fundamental player, he played 90% of the total minutes. I am convinced that little by little he will find his best condition and will be an important player for Juventus.”
You worked with De Rossi at Roma, what are your thoughts on his dismissal?
“Roma is a club that will remain in my heart forever, it was the first time I left Seville. It’s a moment in my life that will remain forever, the first year we played in the Champions League semi-final and that will remain forever. beautiful place.”
Did you hear from De Rossi after his dismissal?
“No, I haven’t heard it. I think it’s a difficult situation but I don’t know it and I can’t comment on it. Nobody can question his love for Roma and last year he did a great job. But I can’t say more “.