Are there any new injuries?
No new injuries. We have recovered Ben Davies. He will be on the bench. He is available. Only this news. The others, Kulusevski is out. Moura is out.
Do you know when Kulusevski will be back?
About Kulusevski, honestly I don’t know when he has the time to recover, I hope to recover him quickly, but I don’t know if for the next game, or for the game in the Champions League against Eintracht Frankfurt at home, I don’t know. I don’t know this. But about the situation, you know that we don’t depend on one player. We played four games without Deki, and we won without him. And in the past, we won and we lost with him, and it was the same. Also this season, the team doesn’t depend on one single player. It depends on the way that we play, the intensity that we want to put onto the pitch, the desire, it depends on this.
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What's the mood been like since Saturday?
Yes for sure we have a chance to play another game. I think this is important. After a loss you want to play quickly another game, and we have this possibility tomorrow. We know very well the game will be very tough because we are playing against Eintracht Frankfurt, they won the Europa League last season.
We are talking about one of the best teams in Germany. At the same time we want to play our cards here. I always say, this group, there is a great balance, and tomorrow it will be an important game for us, and also for them. Not decisive, but an important game.”
Can your team handle the pressure of noisy away days?
For sure, this is the story. Also last season in Europe, we lost many games away. We lost to Pacos de Ferreira, we lost against Vitesse and we lost against Mura with me. We drew only with Rennes. This season the same story, we lost against Sporting and now Arsenal away. And then we drew with West Ham and Chelsea. We have to do much better when we play away. We have to improve. It's part of the process, it means the team has to improve in personality, in the game when you go to play away - to be strong. I repeat: it's part of the process. We need to have patience. At the same time, we need to try to change the situation.
Can you play 3-5-2 now without Kulusevski available?
Kulusevski is out but with this type of player, this squad we can play with these two systems, 3-4-3 or 3-5-2. We also Bissouma is a player that is a good player who can play with the two midfielders, the two strikers could be Sonny and Kane or Richarlison and Kane. On Kulusevski it is better when we want to play with 3-4-3.
Could you use Bryan Gil?
Still in the squad, Bryan Gil. Tomorrow he is the first option for our attack. Kulusevski is out. Moura is out. Moura will be out for a long time. It was the same for Kulusevski. We are talking about a young player a good prospect. We wanted to send him on loan to Valencia but the situation has changed. I trust in him, he is working very well. If we need the possibility to give him time, I trust him. He could play.
Did you say Kulusevski is out for a long time?
No, Moura for a long time probably. I don’t know (how long) but he has this problem in his tendon and the therapist they are not finding the right solution. He is stopping again. If you ask me that I am optimistic? I am not optimistic I am pessimistic about this situation. To play in this way and to lose a player like him is a big loss for us.
Some of the fans have been hoping Djed Spence might get a few minutes with Emerson's upcoming suspension, will that happen?
The fans have to be fans. The fans is the fans, I understand they can think everything but I see every day what happens during the training session. I try to do the best for the team. If they trust me, then they trust me, but the choices are mine. If I didn't decide to pick one player it's maybe because he's not ready.
We are talking about a young player with a good prospect, but I repeat I try to pick the best team. Also Doherty last season played every game. Now I’m not seeing him in the right way to start the game. I'm not stupid, I don't want to lose. I try to put the best team, to pick the best team. If they trust me it's ok, if they don't trust me then I'm the coach and I need to take the best decision for Tottenham.
Since Saturday there has been a lot of talk about the contrasting styles of Spurs and Arsenal, does it frustrate you when people talk about Tottenham being a defensive team?
No, I think that for the characteristics of the players we have to defend situations, and if we were able to exploit the situation, especially last passes, we would have been able to score many goals against Arsenal.
Instead, we made really bad mistakes for the last passes because we had the opportunity to go one-to-one but every team has to think and understand the way to play different games.
Then I repeat last season we won 3-0 and in the same way then when you lose you have to explain and when you win the opponent has to explain, but for me it's important to try to have a plan, to put my players in the best possible situation to exploit their characteristics.
Otherwise, it can happen that you can concede six, seven or eight goals, in England that happens a lot of times. In my career never, never happened and I don't like to play open and concede a lot of space and conceded six, seven or eight goals. In England happened a lot of times. I won in England and then I won in my past and I think I can teach football to many people.
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