Thomas, what's the latest on the touchline ban and the appeal?
“I don't think so but it's not 100% sure. We are waiting for the response.”
Will that impact your preparation for the game against Leicester if you are banned?
“No, I think I can do the same as always: arrive in the stadium, be in the changing room for sure. I cannot be on the sideline it seems, but we need to wait for the final answer because we responded to the written charge. We are waiting for the answer today. I think I can be not on the sideline but in the dressing room and at half-time.”
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What is your response to the written reasons, the panel said you instigated the confrontation?
“I think there are two sides to it. The one side is that I got the red card and behaved in a way which is not appropriate and which I regret, but it was out of passion. It was not too aggressive, it was out of passion. I can accept if I get a red card during the match – if this is the decision – I have a touchline ban and am fined. This is one side to it, I don’t dispute it and accept it.
"What’s hard to accept is the context. I don’t think I started the aggression, it started earlier. I don’t think I was the only person involved; we both got a red card. A player pulled another player by its hair two minutes earlier. He can play on, he is not banned. For a firm handshake at the end of the match, one coach is banned. This is very hard to accept but I have accept it. Putting it into context, I cannot understand."
Do you think the hair-pulling incident started it?
”I don’t say further, you have my opinion on that. In the future, there is no comment from me. I will not comment anymore on any referee’s decisions. No matter how big it is, this is obviously what we want and what you get.”
Chelsea have been trying to sign Wesley Fofana and he's now training with Leicester's Under-21s, what are your thoughts on that?
“It’s your job to read into that. It’s not our player. It’s their decision and where it has to stay.”
There are a few days left of the transfer window and Frank Lampard has spoken about Chelsea's interest in Anthony Gordon, what do you still want to be done?
“We have some ideas but maybe nobody comes in. It’s not a long window anymore, it closes soon. The focus is on the things we can influence. Everybody else is not our decision. No matter what we want, there are always several parties involved that have to agree.”
Given the defeat to Leeds United last weekend and the touchline ban, how is your current mood at the moment?
“If you condense it like this, it sounds horrible. The ban comes from the Tottenham game where my mood in general was very good, was very happy. We were and are still disappointed with the result, also with the influence we had on this result and how we influenced it in the wrong way.
"There are several things we can do better, need to do better. It’s not the moment to lose our head, our mood, or get moody, angry and carry that around for too long. It was the pre-season it was. And then the season starts and we get to know each other better.
"I’m not 100% sure where we are, how we are, who we are. We are in transition as a club and as a team. These things, the bigger they are, they help us get a clearer view, help us with decisions for the upcoming matches, and make things clearer to us and to me. Then we can transport it to the players to improve because we need to improve."
Can you only do that once the window is shut?
“Not only in transfers but in approach to how we play, what we play, where we improve. It is not only about shouting for players. The squad was strong enough to win the match in Leeds – and far too strong to lose 3-0. This is where everything starts.
"The opinions for transfers have not changed much or at all. We knew for weeks what we have and want to add to the group. I am far too experienced in this job to this level to know not every wish can be fulfilled. We have our own stuff to improve and it sharpens our vision on our own team. This is where the focus is.”
What's the latest on N'Golo Kante's injury?
“We are talking about four weeks plus. I told you at the end of last season he is our key player normally. He gives something to our team that no other player in the world can give to any other team. That makes him a key player. If your key player is out, it’s a situation you don’t like but have to deal with. It has huge influence.”
Mateo Kovacic is back in training, how big a boost is that?
“He’s back in the group. N’Golo is the only one that did not train now this week. So everybody is back in training. Kova is back in the group and ready to play some 20 minutes [against Leicester].
“We miss him as a personality, his experience and his quality. It’s maybe 20 minutes at the moment. Was his first training week without reaction in the knee so we cannot rush things otherwise we will just sabotage our own plans with him. We need him long term. It’s good to have him back and as an option on the bench.”
Have you seen a response this week following your defeat to Leeds?
“Always, we always see a response. That’s the good thing, we absolutely dislike losing and as painful as it is to analyse these things and look at it again, it’s necessary, we always get a response. The reasons are obvious, the reasons are clear.
"We are in a period, the last week, a full week to prepare the match. We used it, in our opinion, as good as possible to get back in shape and install confidence in what we do. We don’t like these things but maybe in a process like this they are necessary to sharpen your vision and have a clear view on where to put the focus. This is what we did. Now we have to compensate the loss of Kalidou Koulibaly and N’Golo Kante. From there we go. The team is hopefully well; prepared and ready to go tomorrow.”
Are you enjoying the challenge of working with a team in transition?
“I always enjoy working with every team. This is the foundation for being a good manager, to enjoy and embrace the team that you have and don’t focus on what you don’t have or could have. If things were different, they are not, they are what they are.
"I love the group. We speak a lot about transfer window but the good thing about the transfer window when it closes is that you know this is your group, no more distraction or distraction in focus. Also, from the players that struggle with the decisions of ‘where do I go? Should I go? What do I have to offer? What is my role?”
"On September 1 things are clear. This will give us a boost to build a strong squad, group and atmosphere within the group that carries us. Basically, I’m enjoying the challenge and enjoying the challenge to build a new group, to be in the Premier League. Everything is fine.”
Should Antonio Conte also have been given a touchline ban?
“My understanding was that we both had our impact in this situation and both got sent off. I can understand that I get a ban, I get a fine. What I don’t understand is that the other coach does not get the same punishment. Is hard to understand for me.”
Why do you think other teams have also started the season slowly?
“I absolutely don’t know but the league gets stronger and stronger. It’s more flexible from the tactics, teams adapt within the matches more and more. We have five changes so there are a lot of tactical twists, huge physical impact. It gets harder and harder to win games in this league.”
It was the Champions League group stage draw yesterday, are you happy with your group and what do you make of the others?
“I cannot care less about all the other groups. I only care about our group. I think we need to be fast with away tickets because the family of Mateo Kovacic is buying all that we have because it is in Austria, Croatia and his former city when he played for Inter and we are playing AC. I think he is buying all the tickets that are available so this is where the focus is for our players to get tickets for family and friends!
“It is always a difficult group. I have never experienced an easy group in the Champions League. I don’t care about names, which league, if this is our level or not. If we have to we want to go through. I have only experienced difficult group phases even if it looks from the outside if it’s easy and clear. These matches are tough. It’s the toughest competition. I am happy I will play against teams and in stadiums I have never played before. From there we go.”
Have you appealed the touchline ban?
“Yeah, we answered. We wait for the final answer but I don’t think it will change something. In the moment I think I will be banned from the touchline. That’s it. We are trying to have the best solution which we will have, it will not be an excuse.”
Do you have to adapt in N'Golo Kante's absence?
“It’s difficult to replace him, he’s very unique. We were full of hope after pre-season because we built his pre-season very individually. He had a long pre-season, a good pre-season, felt good. For many years he felt very strong, getting enough rest and build-up to be the player he can be for us. We started with one game a week so the hopes were high that he can play consistently for us.
"If we build another system, I don’t know. We have trust in our players. It will maybe be the same system. We played many games, unfortunately, without him in the same structure. It will be slightly different because every player is a bit different. That is the challenge to adapt to this, use different players differently. To change completely because N’Golo is not there, I don’t think so.”
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