Press conference

Emery on the win, Martinelli, Chambers: transcript

Emery

Unai Emery was a happy man after we beat Nottingham Forest 5-0 on Tuesday.

Afterwards he faced the media and discussed the win, Rob Holding. Gabriel Martinelli, Calum Chambers and more.

Read on for a full transcript:

on the 'perfect evening'...

Good evening. Yes, really for different issues. One is that the competition is important for us, it's one title and it's one opportunity for different players to take confidence, to take minutes and be helping us like tonight. And after, because I think the game was for us in 90 minutes very consistent and some different players gave us their performance. Also Rob Holding came back after injury and also after injuries, Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin. I think this was a good match, a good result, a good game and with a clean sheet there are a lot of positive things. We can be positive with different options for the next matches.

on Martinelli's performance...

Martinelli is a very young player. But he came here and we were waiting and watching him, how he could improve with us and really, really in the pre-season he played very well. He was working in each training with a big spirit and with a big performance and I spoke with him to have some passion for when he gets his opportunity to play, to do like he was doing in the training and the matches in the pre-season. Tonight he did that. Really, he deserved it because he is very humble, a humble player and he fights, he is hungry to have that opportunity to help us and really it was perfect, his work tonight.

on Rob Holding's performance...

Perfect to have more options with the centre backs. After, his spirit is positive, like the minutes he played tonight. Every day in training, he helps us for having more performances like a team and after he needed to take minutes, take confidences and I think tonight, the first match after playing with the under-23s for him is perfect. He was a little tired at the end of the match but he scored and I think he is happy tonight. And we are happy for him.

on Calum Chambers and what his best position is...

He helped. He helped us in the training, in the dressing room and when you need him to play right back, centre back, left back like tonight, and we can use him in the midfield also. His performance is starting with his attitude and his attitude is amazing. After that is his best position, but tonight for example I was telling him, when he was playing left back, be calm here, help and support Bukayo, give the ball to Dani Ceballos and he was overlapping a lot of times with Bukayo! He did one very good pass for the goal with Nelson. He didn't listen to me!

on the young players all impressing...

Yes, Willock took also one step more ahead. Reiss Nelson as well, I think this 90 minutes is good for his confidence. Martinelli also, I think his 90 minutes was also very good. After we also played Emiliano, we played Mustafi, we played Mesut Ozil, taking minutes also for us. Really, this competition is one competition that we can achieve in, we can take some different positive issues for thinking that it is one way forward for us.

on how Emile Smith Rowe is...

He received a knock in his head and it was for precaution that we changed him. But, I am thinking that it is going to be not a serious problem.

on if it is concussion...

It was one knock in his head.

on Freddie Ljungberg being vocal on the sidelines...

Yes, each assistant coach behind me, they have also their work and we are together for speaking with the players and also when we are in the dressing room, we are speaking together for all the situations individually and after we share some moments on the game to speak with the players individually, with the young players and with all players. But for example, he knows perfectly the Arsenal spirit, also he knows the young players and he helps us every day in the training in the matches. And before [his coaching career], he knew the characteristics for the Premier League. I am very happy with him.

on Bellerin assisting on his return…

I think Hector’s attitude is a very big attitude to help us. When he was injured he was still a big mentality in the dressing room helping us. He assisted for Willock to score and also to have different options in the squad and first XI is good. We are going to play a lot of matches and tonight was his first 15 minutes (with us), which is really important. He wanted to play 90 and yesterday he told me he’s ready and wanted to play, but we decided to give him less minutes than 90. He played with the under-23s on Friday and also they are the first matches for him. We need to do it progressively and the doctor said to us that we are going to do it like that.

on whether he could play 90 minutes against United…

I think no. Maybe in his mind yes, but we need to listen to the doctor and the doctor wants to do it progressively. Really tonight is the first day and the first minutes, and we are going to maybe share some minutes with the under-23s. It depends how he’s feeling, but in his mind he’s feeling very well and I think the first minutes tonight were amazing for him. We are going to use him with Ainsley and Calum Chambers to help us in this position. The most important things about Hector are his attitude and experience. He’s wishing to help us.

on showing control today…

We need to improve a lot of things and tonight I think we done a step in the right direction. We gave minutes to some players, got a good result and kept a clean sheet. I think they are a very organised team Nottingham Forest, but tonight they played a lot of players who didn’t play in the starting XI. We need to create our style, our way and our idea with the confident to achieve the best performance. We need to improve for the next matches, for example against Manchester United. It will be very difficult and very tough so we need to achieve the best performance, but with the work tonight of some of our players, they are ready to play more difficult matches. We need to build a competitive team with a strong mentality at home and away. We can improve and I am very positive we’re going to do that. Tonight and on Sunday we showed a good character, a good attitude and a good spirit. In Emirates with our supporters we created a good atmosphere.

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