Etienne Capoue on Liverpool:
"Anfield is hell, you have to say it how it is. It’s hell.
“It’s the worst stadium I’ve been to in England. Whether it’s the atmosphere, the way they play… For 90 minutes, you live in hell.
"They never stop, they rush you all the time, they only want to score goals, and even when they score, they carry on. They want to knock you out.
"They don’t care what or who is in front of them. They just want to kill everyone and that’s it.”
Wouldn’t have it any other way
I’ve seen a couple of games with Villarreal and I can’t see this being easy. Any win for us is a good result but I would be surprised if there is more than a goal in it. No-one seems to fancy them but they remind me of us in 2005.
I’d like to see Konate starting at the back. He is huge and can pick out a header at height which could be valuable on set pieces. My thinking is for a Keita - Fabinho - Thiago midfield. I’d go for Salah and Diaz on the wings but not sure about a centre. I’d prefer Mane but I’m not sure if he will end up being provoked - we saw his temper flare again against Everton. Jota is the other option and, whilst I think he is the better goal poacher, I don’t think he will get too many opportunities against two banks of four.
Just remember that we have the 5 subs so what we start with and what we finish with are unlikely to be the same and I expect Klopp will have factored that into his game plan.
This will be like the Everton game they will play the same
What? They are crap at diving as well?
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Some food for thought there. Sounds like they are perfectly set up to play against a team that presses from the front, holds a high defensive line and has a right back who likes to get forward…
Sounds strangely familiar that 
A really good read here:
Those English-speaking idiots from the world of media haven’t even covered Villarreal’s presser, had to watch it in Spanish (best that I could) on their club’s site. “Oh wow, Villarreal’s in the SF, but we’re not really that interested”.
Emery on Liverpool:
“We played Klopp’s team in that final in 2016 and the fact that they’re here in 2022 says a lot about patience, belief and the leadership [needed] to build a team,” Emery said. “This is the best Liverpool I’ve seen. I was there when that magnificent Liverpool won the Champions League and this year watching them, analysing them, it is better. Liverpool are in a great moment, with a project that has been growing with Klopp growing for years.
“I see an updated and improved version. They have found excellence in certain players,” Emery said, offering an analysis that spoke of admiration and dismissing suggestions that Liverpool could be stopped simply by playing deep and denying them space to run into.
“A team that was characterised by running extremely well, superb into spaces, that pressed very high and won the ball back very quickly, has now found a way for players to combine and find spaces inside,” he said. “They are a team with a very clear identity that Klopp has designed and improved upon. There was the intensity, the full-backs attacking, a lot of crosses. Now you see players with good feet inside, like Thiago [Alcântara], like Fabinho, like [Sadio] Mané who is playing inside more. In previous years Mané would get behind you fast – he was hard to stop running in space; now he comes inside, has the ball, there’s more pause, more combinations with teammates, links with [Mohamed] Salah. They have signed Luis Díaz who can dribble, who is a presence inside, able to combine and also play with the intensity they want, someone who can change the pace and play in intermediate positions [between lines].
“You see a Liverpool built in the image of their manager: with a smile, happiness, energy. And as well as that, as the ability to run, which they always had, there’s a pause now. They might find it harder against deep defences but that happens to everyone and this is a side that can play deeper, open the pitch and accumulate players inside, an improved team.”
“The surprise element has declined,” Emery said. “In the first tie against Juventus, the surprise element was there with us not being favourites and also going 1-0 down, which was important in terms of Juventus not reacting. Against Bayern I think it was important too, enabling us to play from deep positions [in the second leg].
“That’s not the case any more: if you’re in the semi-final it is because you deserve it. And what we have heard from Liverpool, the things they have said have been very intelligent, the respect they have shown – they know us, they know that it will be hard, the potential we have. They’re favourites but with respect.
“We have to analyse, prepare, produce the best version of ourselves, let the wave carry us. We have to try to get the perfect game: we know this is a semi-final and that we’re playing the biggest favourite, but we believe in ourselves and we want to have our place on the pitch. It’s not a case of finishing and being satisfied [to be here], no. We play a team that under normal circumstances could be better than us but we have our mechanisms, our response, and we have to seek ways to beat them, to compete. Above all, we’re going to live it.”
That’s brilliant.
You just have to respect that. Brilliant.
It is. I personally think he was the victim of latent xenophobia during his time in England, very similar to that faced by Rafa, and that the Arse are much poorer for it. We all have a laugh at his English but the man is a really good manager and is infinitely more interesting than the likes of Arteta.
Now that’s a proper football answer. I have no idea what the question was, but credit to the one asking it 
I think Emery’s language barrier was quite a big issue outside of Spain. Coquelin mentioned it as well the other day. You can imagine him being most comfortable in his native language, especially being the hands on type of head coach he is. Klopp mentioned a few times that he doesn’t really see himself working somewhere where he couldn’t be at ease with another language.
This was also mentioned recently by a Norwegian journalist who has followed La Liga closely for many years, and is also a Villarreal fan. He said in terms of the football knowledge and the tactical aspect, Emery is definitely one of the absolute best in the game. But he is also a manager who talks a lot to his players, so obviously when there is a language barrier, it becomes a problem.
A Villarreal fan in Norway, love it!
Also, I love the Spanish use of the expression “pausa” in football, to describe the ability to dictate the tempo of a game; to wait for the right moment to play a pass.
There is another word for “pausa”…its Thiago!
Basque?