It’s a bit like Monday night. You couldn’t get going again.
Yes the first half it was really poor again. The reaction we wanted to show and everything that we talked about, we didn’t make it on the pitch. We were sloppy on the ball again, we were second best in several situations, we didn’t gain any momentum, we didn’t show any purpose in the game, we didn’t play with the right speed and transform the game that Brighton proposed today. The first chance they had, the only chance they had I think, they scored. We created a cold atmosphere that we weren’t comfortable with, but when we tried to change it, it was too late. It was great not to give up but it was too late.
Is it worrying your team aren’t more switched on at this stage of the season?
It’s not a problem of attitude. For me it was a problem of the approach and the courage that we showed to play. We didn’t have the purpose, I know them and we didn’t have that intention to attack and step in and provoke the situation that we want to provoke and we were looking at each other too many times instead of taking ownership and doing what we have to do. You cannot play like that. You have to make yourself count and step in and we didn’t do that today.
Is Laca doing enough away from scoring goals to justify his starting place?
We need to score more goals that’s for sure. That’s a collective issue.
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So you’re happy with what he’s providing?
No I’m never happy, especially when I lose, I’m really upset. I cannot be happy.
Did moving Granit to left back after losing Partey weaken the midfield too much?
Especially the way I thought they were going to play and the space they were going to attack, it fit well to play Emile in that position. Especially because we thought that space was going to be there for Granit to use which it was, but we didn’t use it. After the defeat the decision that you make (tuts). You have to write it before the match, after it’s too late.
It took four minutes for Martinelli’s goal to be ruled out. Did you feel that was too long?
That was the feeling that we had. If it’s taking too long and if there’s going to be any doubt there then it’s going to be a goal. That wasn’t the case. It was a decision that we needed because that was probably the best moment in the game to try to change the momentum of the game but it didn’t go our way.
Does this outline how difficult it’s going to be without Tierney and Partey?
With all the team available we know how difficult the challenge we ahead was that’s for sure. Those two injuries make the situation more complicated, but we cannot look at that because we’re gonna be looking for excuses. What happened today is down to us and the players that we have and the way we prepared the game.
Can you clarify whether you felt the players lacked the confidence or courage or both?
We lacked to take the ownership to take decisions ourselves that could affect the game instead of allowing the game to go and go and create a trajectory that we didn’t want. When that happens you have to move and we didn’t do it and by the time we started to do it was too late and you could see already that the energy was very different.
What happens next?
What happens is we criticise ourselves a lot again. Get slapped again because we deserve it a lot and we were really poor in the first half and then lift ourselves up. We know this road is taking ourselves nowhere, especially with where we want to be. We have everything to play for in the last eight games and we have to have that energy and visualise the beautiful challenge that we have ahead and not sit back and see what happens.
Can you clarify what you meant by a cold atmosphere?
We created it. The fans were here and they were exceptional, and you can see the moment we gave them something, what we tried. We played a game where you could not see the purpose or the intention of what the team was trying to do and like what can they do? Nothing. We have to give them something and we didn’t give them anything in the first half and this is down to us.
