You mentioned how difficult you found it watching when the team were in Abu Dhabi, how did you find it today not being on the touchline?
“This was by far better today as I had the chance to be in the dressing room before and at half time. For Abu Dhabi, I was here at the training ground isolated. You cannot compare. I was in the stadium, I felt the atmosphere, I could see the team, the position to analyse the match was very good.
“Of course, it’s unusual and we don’t need to do it again. It’s unusual not to have the influence directly from the sideline but we made the best of it. It was well organised and I am happy that we got the win.”
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Nerve-racking following the game?
“I think we were in total control, 20/25 minutes of total control. We had big, big chances, more than a chance with Ruben [Loftus-Cheek], a penalty overturned with a marginal offside that looked a bit strange because on our mobile devices it looked not offside but ok.
“Suddenly, we’re one man down with Conor [sent off] from an opportunity for us to score and open the game with a set-piece goal. We were sloppy again with set-pieces and concede a huge counterattack. It was a bad decision from Conor and gave us a massive disadvantage in these conditions where we come from a defeat and it’s so hot.
“I’m happy we hung in and showed the mentality that was needed to have at least the chance to get away with a win. To keep the clean sheet as long as possible, or throughout the match, was the target for the second half. We conceded a goal – totally not needed – and therefore we were under a lot of pressure in the last minutes and conceded two chances.
“We were lucky in the end not to concede the equaliser but we did everything to have the chance and the mentality was very good.”
What did you learn about your team today, could you learn much about it?
“Yes, because we can see individual behaviours. It’s difficult to analyse the team performance tactically when you’re a man down for 65 minutes, that will not make much sense in terms of physical data. But individual behaviour, who protects who, how we compete in challenges, we can always analyse.
“The first 25 minutes was eleven against eleven and we will use it. I think we started very well, but I think we can be more aggressive and be more in the box if we are so dominant like the first 20 minutes. We should be able to create more chances, deliveries and half-chances.
“I felt that we maybe didn’t smell how big the chance was to put the game to bed with one or two goals in the first minutes. Of course, we created a huge chance in transition and we had a penalty and then no penalty.
“There are things to improve but after 25 minutes, it was just necessary survive first of all and then to have our head clear for second half and be ready to sacrifice and wait for the chance to get all three points that we did.”
What did you make of Raheem Sterling’s contribution today?
“It was needed. We need him to score, it’s what he does and he will score. I could feel he wasn’t happy, he wants to score more and have more chances. So we played in a more aggressive shape in the first half for 25 minutes and then we are a man down, so we needed him to step up. He did and he did what he always does. He will score, I’m convinced, and he will create chances. The goals were crucial today because they gave us belief and the boost that it was possible. They were responsible for the win.
It’s been reported that you’ve agreed a deal for Wesley Fofana, what can you tell us about that?
“I can’t tell you anything about that.”
That was, including yours, Chelsea's third red card in three games. Is that a concern?
"Don’t include mine it was after the final whistle and the other ones to be precise were two yellows, yellow-red. Two of them totally were unnecessary and that is part of the analysing of the situation.
"Twice it is absolutely not necessary and to give such a huge disadvantage we have to stop doing this. We cannot behave like this if we are on yellow cards. We have to learn very, very fast. This must be the absolute exception from the rule and cannot be repeated.
Conor looked upset as he came off, have you had the chance to speak with him as it's not been the start he was hoping for in the Chelsea team?
"Today is he is responsible for what he did. Of course, he knows it was a huge mistake. We spoke briefly after the game and things like this can happe. It's not purely his fault alone because it's a set-piece for us and it's sloppy how we take set-pieces at the moment.
“We lack belief and precision. We can speak it out clearly. It’s not good enough how we take set-pieces at the moment and on top of it, we give chances away. We are sloppy on the coverage, bad with the decision making how we cover the set-pieces. We have to stop doing tis and improve immediately. We are on it with the team and I don’t know why it happened again.
“At the end of this chain is a decision that brings such a huge disadvantage after 25 minutes. It’s a very, very bad decision from Conor and, of course, he is upset. Everybody was upset in this moment because it almost kills the whole football match."
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