Injury news? Particularly Kepa and Reece James in case there's been some kind of miraculous recovery?
No miracles. Progressing... progressing well. Reece was outside today having a jog, but nothing to report in terms of anything else. Jorginho has a slight problem with his foot and is doubtful for tomorrow. Apart from that, the same group we had.
Is Kepa Arrizabalaga fit?
Unavailable.
Unavailable but available for the World Cup?
We'll see.
What is the prognosis on that?
He's got to take it day by day. It's a tear in his plantar fascia, so depending on how he responds, responds to pain and how comfortable he feels. At the moment not so positive.
Have you put weeks on Reece James?
Not really, no. It's just how he responds. We don't want to rush anything or have a timescale. That's for him and the doctors.
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He's pretty optimistic?
You need to be.
Is the scrutiny starting to make itself flash at you?
I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect it at all. When you take this job and take this challenge on, of course, there are going to be times where it's not a pleasant road, should we say. You have to deal with that and be honest and say, 'okay, we need to do better', and that's my responsibility.
We've had a six-week period in the end where we've played 13 matches, eight of them away. It has a toll on everything, injuries to key players, it can get messy, It's part of the process. I've been through it at Brighton, been through it at Swansea, been through it at my club in Sweden. It is what it is. That's part of what the job is, to deal with it.
Did you think you would have more breathing space?
I don't think you can ever predict in football. When the results were quite good, I was honest enough to say we've still got a lot we can do to improve. It wasn't like we were sitting there thinking we had cracked football. Games and performance-wise, we can improve a lot. That's exciting, that's also the job, the challenge, and that's what we're looking to do. It's why we're looking forward to the game tomorrow. It's why we're looking forward to the game against Newcastle because that's where you can learn a lot about each other.
How do you approach the game tomorrow, with the game against Newcastle and no Chelsea manager wanting to lose three games?
It's not about me or my ego or anything like that. It's about what is right for the team and what is right for the club. We have to go to Manchester City and be competitive because I'm sure they will be. In trying to win the game, we have to be as strong as we can. We'll do our best and prepare the team, and with the greatest respect to our opponent. They're a fantastic team. We go to try and win the game.
Raheem Sterling, by his own admission, has said he has come up short. Where do you think he is? Are we going to see the Sterling we're used to in an England shirt?
You can tell by his reaction he is honest. Players go through moments in their careers which aren't so positive, and sometimes they go where everything they touch is gold, so to speak. As I've said before, I don't think you can zoom into the individual. The team isn't functioning as well as we would like, and that has an impact on individuals. The work for us to improve the team and the structures. I have no doubt about Raheem's quality or Raheem's ability. He's a proven top, top player.
Have you had to do a lot of nurturing?
You have to do that constantly. That's what the job entails, not just for him but for lots of players. It's been a tough period. Lots of things are happening, lots of transition, lots of change, new faces in the dressing room, new faces everywhere. Trying to get it all to gel and settle down and try to develop a playing style, we've got a lot of work to do. That's why we came here, to produce a top team. We've got a long way to go, but it's exciting.
Given the condensed schedule and the fourth round of this competition being two or three days after the World Cup final, could you do without a cup run?
I wouldn't say that. We play the game. We have to go there and be competitive and try to win because I think that mentality is important. The game if we get through them, we will use it in a positive way. We're not in a place where we can say no. This game doesn't matter. We want to be competitive because that's how you can learn from yourself and learn from the game. It's an important part of the process.
How much of a problem would it be though, to have a game three days after a World Cup final?
It's two separate things, isn't it? The World Cup final, when it is, is what it is. You've got a Premier League that came not so far after that. That's not ideal, either. We all know that's the situation we have to face. Okay, that game comes, then we can use that as preparation for the Premier League game. It depends on who plays in the World Cup final. Clearly, they won't be able to play, but we've got others that can.
In terms of Mateo Kovacic's injury that he is carrying, what exactly is that and how far from 100% is he?
He's just had an ongoing knee issue that is a little bit of discomfort. It hasn't stopped him completely. He's not able to play properly, certainly, we've had to be conscious of that during this period. It's not a massive problem for him. He'll be fine for the World Cup. I wouldn't necessarily say he's 100%, but he's not far off that. It's just we've managed it really well. He's managed it really well. He's a top professional. He's done everything he can in terms of rehab, looking after himself in the gym, and making sure his body is as good as can be. Fantastic professional.
Yeah, I think it's been going on from pretty much pre-season, and we've tried to make the best of it.
Has Sunday affected your selection for tomorrow?
That's a bit reactionary. The game on the weekend, the result was disappointing, and the performance was disappointing. We want to do better. We want to play better. The intention of that is clear for us all. We use the game as the next step for us. This is how we try to move forward. It's a chance for us to learn more about the squad, more about the players. There are not shortcuts. You have to go through some pain sometimes. You have to suffer, as I've said. When you come through, you find out about people, you find about the team, you find out about the team, you find out about everything, and then you can move forward, and that's exciting.
Can we expect some youngsters and is Omari Hutchinson one of them and what do you make of him?
He's in the squad. Lewis Hall is in the squad. They've impressed, They've been training with us for a while now, and we've got some good quality young players we just need to nurture and take the right steps with. They will be in the squad and involved.
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