Jesse, how devastated are you and the side not taking at least a point from the game?
Yeah, I think disappointed and frustrated a bit, however, also proud of the way we played. Listen, this business is about collecting points and not just about performances. But clearly, I think that was a showcase of the way that we can play when we're at our best.
We've had a number of games where we've been on top of things, been the better team and we don't find ways to get the goals that we deserve in those moments and then it keeps the opponent around or gives them the chance to find a goal or to find the lead, which makes the game and the sport feel very cruel.
But in the end, it's what it is and we have to get better in the final third and capitalise on chances.
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Yeah, there were a lot of chances, but prior to that, though, Jesse, how do you legislate for what happened with Rodrigo today?
Yeah, I mean, we knew that the workload for that position in the match was going to be heavy and so the idea was that we were going to trade Rodrigo and Patrick no matter what, and we just decided to do it at halftime. Obviously, Rodrigo makes the choice to play this big switch that is not normally what we'd like to do and it leads to a moment that costs him and the team, but in general, you know, Rodri, he's had a good run of form with us and we need him. We need him to get hot we need Patrick to get hot. We need guys to score goals. So, obviously I'm disappointed for Rodri but in the end, we still he's an important guy.
Mikel Arteta said that’s the biggest test they’ve been put under this season. Just how good a second half was that from you, is that the best you’ve been?
Yeah, I think part of it was that we pushed the tempo so high in the first half that it was a lot for them to handle after travel and everything. Yeah, I mean, we were better. We were better on the day, but we're walking away with nothing. So again, we've got to find ways to take the good things and have it add up to results.
There was a red card at the end which was rescinded. What's the explanation for that?
I have no idea, I haven't really been able to figure out who was given the red, it was too far away from me. Some of these decisions and, I mean, even the fact that for me, the penalty should have been called right away. It was clear but yeah, we're on the wrong end of a lot of these right now, but I'm not going to cover too much referees.
Jack in the 10 role looked very creative, have you been considering that for a while?
Well, we're getting better at understanding what the behaviours and habits are and then we can manipulate the tactics to find ways to challenge teams. I thought the match plan was really good. Brenden and Jack came to me at halftime and said, ‘What if we switched our roles?’ and so we decided to do that. I said, ‘okay, let's put Brenden more in the middle and Jack a little bit more on the right and see if Brenden can help with some of the pressing moments’ and he was fantastic at that moment. So you know, we have flexibility in some of the group and in what we have and now they're getting smarter and they're getting better at understanding exactly what we want to look like then it creates more flexibility and what we can do so I thought the match plan was very good and I thought the execution was outstanding,
What did you make of Patrick’s performance because he’s missed chances and a penalty but he seemed to change the game with his presence?
I think so. I think the thing with Patrick is that I said even in the press conference this week is if a striker is not getting chances, then you're more worried about it than if he's missing them. Obviously a penalty winds up being more of like a psychological issue when you miss the frame then even a quality issue. But I feel like Patrick's coming into form, he's looking physically strong and now hopefully we can develop a rhythm with him and we can be a different team if he can catch on fire.
Where’s that performance been after so many weeks? It doesn’t feel like you’ve played that well since Chelsea but we know it’s in there, why do you think that is?
I think the first half of Crystal Palace was also outstanding. We should be up 3-0 in that match. We should win this game. So again, for me, it's easy and I tell you in Brentford we had some good moments, Brighton for me first half was terrible, but then second half was actually really good and we were unlucky enough to get back in the game in, Everton, Villa, Villa we get the red card but still we manage okay, maybe we could win at the end but we're not capitalising and it puts stress on the environment.
So I have to stay calm and patient which I hate. I hate being patient, detest maybe as a better word, but I have to. I have to because I see that I see the good work that's getting done and I see the progress being made. But at some point here, it's got to start to add up to more results so that we can really develop momentum but the league is difficult. The league is difficult and it challenges you in every way.
You switched into more of a 4-3-3 at points. Brenden dropping in to support Tyler and Marc at points. Can you elaborate on that for us?
You could have said it was a little bit asymmetric with a 4-2-3-1, or you could have said a 4-3-3, you could have said a diamond. We were manipulating how to press and close down spaces and try to eliminate their ability to play with combination on the wing and then hit the other side. When it was good, it was incredibly effective. When they were able to play with some good combinations and quality it puts stress on us a little bit on the other side of the pitch. But again, I think tactically performance wise in a lot of ways we were better today. We were better.
Do you think it suits your team to be able to go toe to toe with other sides in the way you did against Chelsea and Arsenal?
Different teams are going to have different ideas of how they want to handle our intensity and our pressing. Some go long, some sit deep and give us the ball, some try to play through us. We have to continue to build tactical sophistication and understanding as to how to handle every moment. We're getting there. Even today, even first half there's some really good moments where we win balls and we have chances to maybe create something but that doesn't quite come off. So I think it suits us to continue to understand exactly what the opponent is trying to do and then exactly how we want to handle it and then to continue to play with confidence and belief and understanding and discipline for exactly what we want every game to look like and how that fits within our style of play and our tactical model. And the closer and closer that we get to that the more and more we'll be able to control matches.
In terms of results, does this feel like an opportunity to you this week, Leicester and Fulham?
I would have said Palace as well. I would have said Villa even with the performance to man down not to give much away. But in the end again we need to score goals. We have to score goals.
With that in mind, what mood do you have to strike at Thorp Arch this week, does it have to be critical for the finishing or positive?
It has to be balanced, but I think we will take this away and be very encouraged. And again, such a crazy game. Such a crazy game today with so many things happening in that match and so obviously when I sit here now I'm filled with emotion in every direction. But I'll take some time, I'll look at the video, we'll regroup, we'll find out physically who's ready to go again, we're physically looking strong and healthy and fit. We've got to use the next matches to find ways to get more points out of it because that's important for us right now in our season.
What happened at the start of the game with the delay, what was explained to you on what happened and what was your take?
I think there was a surge of power, which put out the referees' system and the VAR and then the goal line technology and everything, so they thought that they could get it all back online but it would take some time and there was a moment in there where it was possible that we were even going to play without VAR but they got it all together.
So not an easy day for the referees and the administrators to handle but I think they did a good job.
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