Birmingham Live

Unai Emery sat down with the media at Bodymoor Heath ahead of Aston Villa's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (2pm kick-off).

Villa will be looking to return to winning ways against Spurs after drawing to Bournemouth last weekend and then being dumped out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. Here is every word Emery said in his post-match press conference...

Before the press conference got underway, Emery said a few words about the tragic flash flooding which has taken more than 200 lives in Valencia in recent days.

"I want to send my condolences. We had a tragedy in Valencia. I am very sad and all of my condolences to the people affected. To the families of victims and hopefully we can recover quickly what happened there."

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What do you make of United’s appointment of Amorim?

"Firstly, when I arrived here my first message to the players was that I was sad, because when a coach gets sacked it’s not good. It is the same at United with Ten Hag. It is not good news but it is football. We have to accept as coaches when things happen like that.

"I know something about Ruben Amorim because we played sometimes. He has done great work in Portugal with Sporting and if United decided to appoint him, it is because he deserves it."

It’s a big week ahead of Villa. What are your thoughts on squad rotation?

"With my experiences, when I am thinking for the next match … I am wrong. Now my focus with these experiences too, is to only prepare the next match, only thinking 100 per cent on it. I am planning for some weeks when they are coming [matches], or even months.

"But I wanted to learn with my experiences and thought is always to be focused for the next match. It is not about rotation, or which players are better to play for the match we are going to play against Tottenham. Even playing a match like we will play, we have one more training session left and an injury can happen or if a player is sick. For me, the focus has to be on Tottenham."

The last time you played Spurs your side lost 4-0. Does that still hurt personally?

"We are respecting the past we did, playing at home and away against Tottenham. Every match we play we try to identify and correct mistakes in our process. Now I am analysing how we are now and how are they with the players they have and in the new season we are doing.

"Tottenham is playing very well and they deserved more points than they have now. They beat Manchester City at home, playing with lots of players who will play on Sunday. Their style and idea is so, so strong. They have individually brilliant players. They signed Solanke and he is giving them a lot more ways to attack and be stronger than last year.

"They are the favourites in front of us for the season and for the match on Sunday. We are competing and we are really being confident, how we are doing our way. We even lost last year against them. We are trying to use a stronger structure to face them on Sunday. We are very excited and motivated, our fans, myself, the coaches, players and the club how we are increasing our level to be contenders with Tottenham, City, Chelsea and Newcastle. Competing with them to be in the top seven, top six or top five."

Are Tottenham your main rivals for a Champions League spot?

"They are favourites. We have some advantage in the table, but that can be different after Sunday. Hopefully we can keep our competitive way we are doing. Of course, we have to adapt to them. They are going to impose themselves on us in 90 minutes and we have to stop them and try to dominate them in our idea and set-pieces.

"They are favourites with Chelsea, Manchester United, with Newcastle, and of course, Arsenal are getting better, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool. Hopefully we can keep it [top four] for a long time."

It’s two years to the day since you started working at Villa. Do you feel more pressure now because you are competing towards the top of the league?

"I am feeling us increase our standards like something being demanding and something we want. We are trying as well to get these demands being comfortable, feeling in a good position when we are keeping this level in the table through the Premier League or the Champions League. It is really fantastic to try and feel it in our demands, which are increasing.

"I never feel it negatively, like pressure, damaging us. We want to feel something like it is comfortable, really happy and keeping the same level in our demands, more and more trying to get even better."

What is the team news?

"We trained today with some players only, other players were resting. Today was good. Tomorrow morning we will train again and hopefully we will have available the players who were on Wednesday. We have only one injured player, Ross Barkley has a small injury and won’t be available for the next two weeks. Everyone else, I think they are available and they are completely 100 per cent ready for Sunday."

You’ve finished above Spurs twice in the last two seasons - why is it that they are more likely to finish above you this season?

"Because in the beginning, how we can do a list with the teams in front of us with the [transfer] budget. At the beginning. Of course, the budget is not enough to be favourite, but the difference between them and us is still being a big gap. Of course, we are not thinking of it but I have to tell everyone that there are other teams in front of us at the beginning.

"But we are competing and progressively getting better, keeping the same level we are trying to set as a target. The players, the club each day we are sending the same message inside. To keep it, it is really the greatest challenge we have in the Premier League playing against those teams."

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has revealed Ross Barkley will miss Aston Villa's trip to Tottenham through injury.

The midfielder missed Villa's Carabao Cup clash against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night due to the problem and is expected to return after the November international break. Ahead of Villa's final training session at Bodymoor Heath on Saturday, Barkley is the only player who is injured in Emery's squad.

"We trained today with some players only," Emery said when asked about team news. "Other players were resting. Today was good, tomorrow morning we will train again. We only had one injured player, who is Ross Barkley. He has a small injury. He's not available for the next two weeks. The others, they are available and they are completely 100 per cent ready for Sunday."

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Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara, who had both been sidelined with ACL injuries, returned to the starting XI in midweek. Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne, Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins were all rested in midweek.

Jacob Ramsey and Matty Cash were the only first-team players named on the substitutes bench, but they did not come on. Villa come into the match with Tottenham on the back of two disappointing results after being held to a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth last weekend and being dumped out of the Carabao Cup at home by Palace.

Tottenham, meanwhile, bounced back from their league defeat to Palace at Selhurst Park last Sunday by beating Manchester City in the Carabao Cup in midweek.

They have lost three of their last four Premier League meetings with Villa, though did win the last such match 4-0 in March. They’d only lost two of their previous 21 against their opponents this weekend.

Villa have the opportunity to win three consecutive league away games against Spurs for the first time in 100 years after winning 2-0 and 2-1 in the previous two seasons.

Only Liverpool (13) and Nottingham Forest (11) have won more away Premier League points this season than Villa (10), who have only won as many as four of their opening five away league games in a season once before, doing so in 2020-21.

Micky van de Ven has posted online after he was forced off with injury early on in Tottenham's 2-1 win over Manchester City on Wednesday. The Dutchman was only able to complete 13 minutes of the Carabao Cup fourth round tie.

Almost exactly one year on from suffering a hamstring injury that ruled him out for over two months last season, a hamstring problem has arisen once again for Van de Ven. The 23-year-old had to be treated and helped on the pitch by physios before hobbling off.

He appeared to be in tears as he made way. Van de Ven has had hamstring issues in the past and clutched immediately at the back of his right leg following a tackle with City winger Savinho.

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"Micky felt something in his hamstring," Ange Postecoglou confirmed after the match. "I haven't got the full update on him but he definitely felt something and we'll see how he is."

The Australian has previously been reluctant to use Van de Ven as a left-back in the past despite his pace. "I've been mindful of Micky," he said last season. "He's had a couple of injuries and I've got to be careful with him when it comes to the demands of playing left-back in our system. I've got to think about the future and the physical demands are different at left-back."

Now, less than 24 hours after Van de Ven's teammates secured passage to the quarter-finals of the League Cup, he took to social media to offer a brief and cryptic update. He wrote on his Instagram story: "Back soon."

Alongside an image of himself during the game with his hands on the back of his head, Van de Ven's black and white post possibly suggests bad news for Spurs. Postecoglou and his side face three games in a week from Sunday against Aston Villa until the next international break.

Van de Ven is an immediate doubt to feature in the crucial top four battle against Villa after his injury. Tottenham also took off Cristian Romero and matchwinner Timo Werner as they edged past City.

"Cuti [Romero] was a bit tired." explained Postecolou. "I contemplated changing him at half-time but after losing Micky as well I didn't want to lose another centre-half.

"He said he felt ok but my gut was telling me there's no point taking a risk as we had Benny [Ben Davies] who could come on. Timo hasn't played a lot so I felt it was more fatigue hopefully than anything else."

After the disappointment of drawing to Bournemouth last weekend and being knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, Aston Villa are looking to return to winning ways on Sunday (2pm) when they take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Unai Emery's side are yet to taste defeat away from home this season after six trips in all competitions. In fact, they've won five such matches, only dropping points at Ipswich Town at the end of September.

Tottenham, meanwhile, come into the game on the back of a win over Manchester City in the Carabao Cup. But Ange Postecoglou appeared to lose defender Micky van de Ven to injury during that tie, while he will also be sweating on the availability of Cristian Romero and Timo Werner after they were replaced in the second half.

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Spurs have lost two of their last three league games after being defeated by Brighton and Palace on the road either side of their 4-1 win over West Ham at home. Postecoglou made five changes to his starting XI to face City in midweek, while Emery made 10.

After winning the Yashin Trophy on Monday night, Emi Martinez will return to the starting XI on Sunday. Emery faces a decision to either play Diego Carlos at centre-back or Matty Cash as the full-back, which would see Ezri Konsa play alongside Pau Torres. Lucas Digne should come back into the starting side.

Despite Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara impressing in the defeat to Palace, they both played 90 minutes after many months sidelined through their respective ACL injuries, so are unlikely to play from the off against Spurs just a few days later.

Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans will likely come back into the team as the double pivot, with Morgan Rogers supporting Ollie Watkins in attack. John McGinn was the only player to keep his place in the side in midweek and he should start again against Tottenham. Jacob Ramsey could get the nod ahead of Leon Bailey considering he was rested against Palace and did not come off the bench, while Bailey - who registered an assist - played 78 minutes.

Villa's predicted starting XI vs Spurs: Martinez, Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn, Ramsey, Rogers, Watkins.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has given an update on Micky van de Ven’s injury as he sweats over two more Spurs players ahead of facing Aston Villa.

Tottenham beat Manchester City 2-1 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, but the victory came as a cost as Van de Ven was forced off with an injury during the first half and was in tears as he left the pitch.

Speaking after the final whistle, Postecoglou said: “Micky felt something in his hamstring. I haven't got the full update on him but he definitely felt something and we'll see how he is.”

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Cristian Romero and Timo Werner also needed to be replaced during the tie. Romero came off early in the second half, while Werner hobbled off after pulling up while taking a corner.

“Cuti was a bit tired,” Postecoglou added. “I contemplated changing him at half-time but after losing Micky as well I didn't want to lose another centre-half.

“He said he felt ok but my gut was telling me there's no point taking a risk as we had Benny who could come on. Timo hasn't played a lot so I felt it was more fatigue hopefully than anything else.”

Unai Emery’s Villa travel to Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday (2pm).

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven picked up an injury in the Carabao Cup fourth round clash against Manchester City on Wednesday night.

He is now being considered as a big doubt to feature for Spurs against Aston Villa on Sunday as he was seen clutching his hamstring and was in tears walking down the tunnel. Yves Bissouma ran after him to give him a hug after suffering what appears to be an injury which could keep him sidelined for a period of time.

Destiny Udogie replaced Van de Ven, while Christian Romero and Radu Dragusin were already playing at centre-back against City. Van de Ven missed Tottenham's home clash against Villa last season, when Unai Emery's side won 2-1.

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Villa will head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium unbeaten in their last seven Premier League games, drawing three of their last four against Ipswich Town, Manchester United and Bournemouth.

Spurs, meanwhile, lost 1-0 to Palace at Selhurst Park last weekend and are currently five points off Villa. Ange Postecoglou's men have lost two of their last three league matches having also tasted defeat on the road to Brighton.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is confident Son Heung-min will be able to return to action against Aston Villa on Sunday (2pm kick-off).

The forward missed Tottenham's matches against Manchester United, Ferencvaros and the defeat to Brighton before he returned to face West Ham earlier this month. But he was once again left out of the squad for their most recent matches - against AZ Alkmaar and Crystal Palace - after feeling discomfort.

Ahead of Spurs' Carabao Cup clash against Manchester City on Wednesday, Postecoglou issued an injury update on his team. He said: "Sonny, he is almost fit, but from our perspective we will aim him for the weekend. We are quite confident he will be right for the weekend.

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"The only one who is missing out is Wilson [Odobert]. He has had a setback during the week and it seems like it is a serious one [injury]. We are waiting for more information. That is the only one that is disappointing. From the weekend, everyone is OK and Djed [Spence] is back training."

Villa manager Unai Emery has no injury worries heading into their Carabao Cup fourth round tie with Crystal Palace. Boubacar Kamara could make his first start since February, while Tyrone Mings is pushing to make an appearance for the first time in 445 days after returning from his own ACL injury.

Dermot Gallagher, the former Premier League referee, reckons match officials got it wrong when they sent off Bruno Fernandes during Manchester United's 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. The United captain was shown a straight red card just before half-time in Sunday's loss - the first dismissal of his United career.

Fernandes seemed to slip while attempting to track James Maddison's run, catching the Spurs player as he fell. Referee Chris Kavanagh immediately showed a red card, and VAR supported his decision, deeming the Portuguese international's action as serious foul play.

Unless an appeal is successful, Fernandes will miss the next three Premier League games - including Sunday's trip to Aston Villa - heaping more pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.

Speaking on Sky Sports' Ref Watch, Gallagher suggested the referee's view of the incident may have been obstructed. He said: "Right, a lot of debate. Look, that's referee's view, I don't think he can see it, that's my first point."

He added: "I don't think the referee sees the challenge happen. The assistant flags it, he has a different view and angle.", reports the Manchester Evening News.

Gallagher further explained: "If you run it on, this is the assistant's view, you can understand why the assistant would relay that it's high and off the ground because he's caught him high."

Gallagher elaborated: "When you play it through, you see it's a glancing blow, he doesn't catch him as he thinks. I can understand the referee not seeing it, he has to go off the assistant's view on that, he think it's high and caught him, but he hasn't. It's an optical illusion when you see it, a more palatable decision would've been a yellow card."

On the topic of VAR's involvement, he added: "I can't answer it because they talk about the threshold. I'm not a referee's coach and never would be, but those headsets, the assistant has passed it on, the referee hasn't seen it. But he's got time, he's blown his whistle, at that point time is the only ally. I wonder if he goes to the assistant they confer, they might come to the same conclusion, it might look better."

"I don't think many people, at the time, thought the assistant had any input. You hear people say the referee was quick to get the red card out. The referee was led and, in my view, the referee was led incorrectly because of that angle we saw. If you pull all your resources together, I think you come to a far different decision."

"I think the angle from the assistant, that will deceive him," Gallagher continued. "From that angle, he will say that his foot looked high, but he can't see his point of contact. He can't see the intensity or the momentum he's gained in that - I don't think he has because he's come from such a short distance and that's why it's not a red card."

"I can understand the referee not seeing it, but the assistant seeing it conveys that message, but it's got lost."

Aston Villa have no plans to cash in on homegrown ace Jacob Ramsey, the club's president of football operations Monchi has confirmed.

Villa have balanced their books with the sales of Omari Kellyman to Chelsea, Douglas Luiz to Juventus and Moussa Diaby to Al-Ittihad to ensure they will comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Monchi led Villa's drive to raise funds but the sale of Ramsey was never on the cards.

The 23-year-old has been coveted by numerous clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, after an injury-hit 2023/24 campaign which saw him make just 16 Premier League appearances under Unai Emery. But Emery has mapped out a role for Ramsey, and the Great Barr-born midfielder provided the crucial assist for Jhon Duran's winner at West Ham on the opening day of the season.

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“If we wanted to sell Jacob Ramsey, we would have sold him already because we had different offers from different clubs,” Monchi told The Telegraph. “But Unai has big confidence in him and I think that Jacob can continue to improve his level.

"Last season was difficult for him because of three injuries, but Unai thinks that with Jacob, Aston Villa is the best thing. He’s convinced 100 per cent that Jacob’s level will increase this season.”

Villa will play in Europe for the second successive season under Emery after qualifying for the Champions League. Ramsey will hope to play a bigger part after featuring in just three of the Europa Conference League group games last year.

Aston Villa and Real Betis are reportedly set to go head-to-head in the final weeks of the transfer window as the two clubs are touted as Giovani Lo Celso's only options to leave Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite recently adding a second Copa America title to his impressive personal trophy haul, the Argentine was recently said to not be a part of Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou's plan for the upcoming season, so is up for sale. Word has reached Lo Celso's homeland, where the latest claim officially brings Villa into the fold.

TyC Sports claim the West Midlands to be one possible destination for the 28-year-old, allowing him to continue his Premier League journey in a new setting. Whilst it would mark a new adventure, he would be greeted by the familiar face of Unai Emery.

The Spaniard was critical in kickstarting the midfielder's career in Europe when bringing him to Paris Saint-Germain in 2016, and they worked with one another for the next two seasons. After that Emery offered Lo Celso a loan route out of Spurs in 2022, and the pair spent 10 months together again at Villarreal.

To complete the signing, Villa would have to see off competition from La Liga's Real Betis. As they also have personal connections with the man in question - he made 45 appearances across two years in Balompie between 2018 and 2020 - the battle would come down to who Lo Celso feels the deeper connection with.

A Betis sporting director recently stated: "He is a player who already showed his worth at Betis, who is now doing so with Argentina, and who is complementary to [Nabil] Fekir, one should not be a substitute for the other."

And of course also paramount to any transfer is Spurs' final say on the matter. The latest report states that the Londoners will only consider a permanent sale, no loans this time around, and will only listen to 'good offers'.