‘I believe in my players’ says Emery as Villa bid to keep up with Prem leaders
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Premier League: KO 5.30pm
UNAI EMERY has told his Aston Villa underdogs to “stop dreaming and start believing” in the Premier League title race.
The Spaniard rapped out a message that his team are near the league summit on merit.
They look to move level with leaders Liverpool with victory over Everton at Goodison Park tomorrow.
Villa have been the season’s surprise package (key midfielder Douglas Luiz celebrating, right), but Emery knows he can impact the top four if he keeps his core players fit.
And ahead of a tricky trip to Merseyside, he chose to up the ante, saying: “Where are we in the table? It’s not a dream. It’s real, everything we are doing. The players have to believe. I believe in them.
“I know I’m very demanding. They have to be ready to work hard if they want to feel these new emotions and motivations. And for some of them it is new.
“Maybe a few of them were feeling relaxed because they were in the middle of the table.
“But if you want to be one step ahead you have to work hard and improve your mentality. I’m pushing them in that direction, they have to understand the process of getting better.
“But we also have to feel comfortable with what we are trying to achieve.
“We are second now in the table. Manchester City has a match in hand which means we could be third.
“But if we win on Sunday we can improve our position and that is our objective and it must be what we demand. We have to feel like this is normal.
“Maybe in the process we get used to being here longer and longer.”
Emery said Villa’s owners, multi-billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, will respect Financial Fair Play rules. However, it appears that at least one player will need to leave on loan before any others can be signed this
month.
Calum Chambers and Bertrand Traore have both been made available to free up room both within the squad and in the accounts.
Emery said: “Some players can leave – Traore and Chambers – and if that situation happens we can think about adding one or two players to our squad.
“With Financial Fair Play, we are willing to accept the rules. We have to accept the rules. We get it.
“We have met with the owners. They are very excited and they are happy with how we are working. They want to invest but they accept the rules and accept Financial Fair Play.
“We’re trying to be intelligent and improve our squad now. If we can’t do that, we’ll look at the next transfer window.”
WILLIAM HILL ODDS
......... Senegal
...... Morocco
.......... Algeria, Ivory Coast ......... Egypt
......... Cameroon
....... Nigeria
....... Tunisia
....... Ghana
....... Mali
...... DR Congo
...... South Africa
...... Burkina Faso
...... Ghana, Zambia
..... Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde, Tanzania
...Angola, Namibia, Gambia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Guinea-bissau
IAN WINROW
JEAN-LOUIS GASSET admits his Ivory Coast side must cope with the huge expectations that come with being hosts when they open the Africa Cup of Nations this evening.
Gasset’s team face Guineabissau in the Group A curtainraiser in Abidjan’s Alassane Ouattara Stadium (below).
And they know the nation expects them to be back at the same venue for the final on Sunday February 11.
The Elephants rank alongside holders Senegal, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt as the countries most fancied to go all the way.
And Gasset, 70, (circle, far left) who worked alongside Laurent Blanc at Paris Saintgermain and the France national team, said: “We feel the expectation every day but we just need to live with it.
“My job is to transform the pressure into something positive, to make sure that gives the players strength and confidence.”
Ivory Coast’s first task is to progress from a group that also includes Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea – and they will be forced to go into the opening game without Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller and Brighton winger Simon Adingra who are both battling to regain fitness.
Sadio Mane struck the winning spot-kick when Senegal won the 2021 final on penalties against Egypt – inflicting misery on former Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah. Senegal begin their title defence when they face Gambia on Monday, with Cameroon and Guinea making up the rest of Group C.
And Mane, now playing for Al-nassr in Saudi Arabia, says the challenge facing his teammates is even tougher this time around.
The striker said: “I cannot recall a stronger field. All the giants are going to be in Ivory Coast and all of them will be plotting to dethrone us.
“I believe this Nations Cup will be the toughest to win.”
Salah (below) has twice finished on the losing side in the final but will attempt to go one better when he skippers Egypt to what he hopes will be an eighth title.
The Pharaohs face Ghana, Mozambique and Cape Verde in Group B and Salah said: “I want to win this competition having come so close twice.
”I am so happy to play in this wonderful African tournament and my team-mates and I are desperate to succeed.
“Every time I step on the pitch I am conscious of my role – I am representing millions of Egyptians.
“We know
Cairo and other cities, towns and villages will be empty when we play.”
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