Lets start with a quick reflection on Arsenal, what have you said to the players about that and how much has it reflected the mood coming into an important week?
When the game finished, for sure all of us were disappointed with the result. But what I said in the press conference after the game, I think we did many things well. Much better in the first half where the game, in my opinion, was more equal.
We had some chances to score, we didn't suffer a lot, we defended well and I think we found the balance we need to play against those kind of teams. After conceding the penalty and conceding the early goal in the second half, then the game changed and was more difficult. But for us, the players kept going and did the right things until the end. We scored one goal and I was very, very happy with the attitude of the players.
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And coming into the game against Nottingham Forest, can we expect to see many changes to your team and how are injuries looking?
About injured players, I prefer not to say anything. You know that our situation isn't good about injured players, and all the medical staff and injured players are working really hard to recover as soon as possible. But in two or three days, the things do not change a lot.
Maybe we'll have some different options for tomorrow but we'll have to prepare for the game with the players we have. It's our mentality in this moment, be positive and try to play an important game for us at our best level.
How much of it is how mentally strong everyone stays and how focused they are? A lot of the teams around you won, Leicester parted ways with their manager. How much are you looking at all of that?
Of course you see all the games and you want to know everything about other teams. I try to be honest with you, we don't waste our time thinking about other teams, thinking about other situations. We have our situations, we're living our days in this moment, suffering in this difficult situation but at the same time with the confidence that we're doing many things well. We try to be focusing on only the next game is the best thing we can do and thinking this way will help us achieve our target at the end of the season.
With regards to Forest, they haven't won since they beat Leeds in February. Do you see a team that's playing badly and without confidence?
I think now they have different options with players, because they signed new players and they have many different options now. If you see their last lineup and you compare with the game before, you see they do many changes. They can play with different shapes, different players and they can play with many different options. In the last game, I think they played well and in my opinion have quality players. They defeated us a short time ago and we have to be aware of that, they are a good team. We have to do something different and something better in the next game.
I don't expect you to have the same strategy that you used to play Arsenal because they're different sides. You talk about playing at home, the extra effort that is needed. The temptation to go full-out attack for a win, how do you balance that to be a bit more sensible?
I expect a more offensive game for us than the last one if you're asking me about that! When you play against Arsenal, I can tell you whatever you want but at the end it was 33% of possession for us. We need to manage that percentage of of possession to be offensive, to be brave, and I think we did it. We created some chances, five shots on target and Arsenal had six shots on target. We competed well.
It's true that we are playing teams on the top of the table at this moment but I think we competed well. Now playing at home, I expect a different game and a more offensive game with more possession and most importantly, a better result.
What's the most difficult part for you of your job right now? What's the hardest part?
I try to enjoy everyday. Not just in football, but in life, try to enjoy everyday. But when you feel the responsibility of people around you, all of the people around you trust your job, trust that we'll get the target at the end, of course you do it as well. But of course you feel that responsibility until you don't get it, you don't stop. I was responsible when I was a kid as well, I try to do my job always well and I want to finish my job well.
Rodrigo got some minutes against Arsenal and he's been the most reliable source of goals. How important is he for the last 10 matches?
You know Rodrigo's situation, he is trying to make a big effort to help the team. Maybe he's not in the best condition but he tries to help the team, the same way as the rest of the players. All of them have the clear, collective objective: to remain in the Premier League. That's our target. All of the players help in different ways, some of them start in the first 11, others play 30 minutes, five minutes, others just on the bench. But all of them with the same mentality.
I listen all the time since my arrival here, I hear Marching On Together is something, I can feel it everyday here.
Recovery of players is obviously very important, the physical recovery of players. How important is it for them to have time to switch off in between games?
There is no time. There is no time. We don't have enough time to do it. We play on Saturday, Tuesday. We have don't have time, we don't have time. We are coming from the international break, where the players that stayed here with me enjoyed that two days off and that was their moment. But now we focus on this, the most important moment of the season.
10 games left. You know, it's very fast and we have to be ready to give our best. There is no time for other things.
With the game being so important, how do you as a coach know that you've said enough to a player? How do you know when to stop giving instructions?
I suppose my experience tells me when I have to be more hard, to handle the team in one way or another way. I try to be clear, be honest with them. To tell them always the truth, I think that's the best way to help them and at the same time to achieve our objectives. They don't want someone to tell them something, and after say other things about them. I try to be clear with them, strict at the same time and that's the best way to have a good relationship and at the same time to take from them their best.
Since Rodrigo arrived in 2020, there's been a long running debate about whether he can play alongside Patrick, either as two nines or with Rodrigo as a 10. How would you see that in your opinion?
In my opinion, Patrick is a clear number nine and all the strikers we have can play with him. If we ever choose one day to play like against Arsenal in a different way without Patrick, we can do it as well. With Rodrigo as a nine, with Bamford as a double nine, we have different options. In my opinion, what is really important is the quality of the players and the attitude they have to play wherever I tell them to. If I say to Rasmus, you must play as a midfielder because you have to play there, they don't say anything, they just do it because they're convinced they can do it well. That's what is really important for me, the quality of the players and the attitude to do what you want to do.
You're not the first head coach to talk about the mentality of the players, how willing they are to work for each other, how there's no selfishness there. How rare is that?
What I feel from my arrival here is that all the squad was in one direction. I don't know what they did in the past, I don't know what is going to happen in the future but in this moment, the present, all the players are really together. All of them all want to achieve the objective in a collective way.
Is that different to previous squads you've worked with?
I try to give importance to all my players because I believe in all of them. Me, I didn't complain when I didn't have some players because I have other ones and all deserve to play and they are all waiting to show what they can do. Then for me, I have to choose 11 players which is the most difficult part of my job, trying to choose only 11 every single game but that's something I have to do. It's my responsibility and it's something I have to do.
But then after that, I know how important the players are playing from the bench. Many, many times they make the difference and they have to feel it. I try to give that importance not only to the first 11, to all of them, even if they're on the bench. You know the way they celebrate every goal, it's something so amazing, they can feel it. We are not lying to them, we are not just telling them something they want to hear, that is something they can really feel. That's because I feel proud of the players I have and proud of what they are doing.
How important will it be for your players to stay disciplined not just in terms of the referee, but in terms of tactically as well?
I don't have any doubts about that. In other games, playing against Brighton, it was difficult for us to keep that discipline, we were losing twice and to keep our shape, to be constant, don't do movements we don't want to do. It wasn't easy to do it but we were really disciplined and I have no doubts about that. They are going to do their plans, they are going to do their best. After we'll see if we're able to get our result that we expect.
How much have you watched back the game against Forest in February and what lessons did you learn?
We try to learn from all the games we've played before, whether we win, lose or draw. But in my opinion, we have competed in all our games. We were close in all the games to get better results and now in this moment of the competition we're at, it's the moment to give our best and try to show what we are able to do in the key moments and we have to do it now. We are in a moment where we have to play three games at home in a row and it's an important moment for us.
Elland Road last season saw quite a few crazy games. How much do you want to avoid that, avoiding emotion or is that a big part of it?
I think we have to live the games like they're coming, you know. We try, of course, to be focused on the game, on the things we have to do. But we have to feel the support of the fans, we need the support of our fans. We know we always have the unconditional support from them. But in this game is crucial.
You've had a month with the squad, do you think they should be higher up in the division?
I think we are where we are at this moment. The table puts you in your place, and if you want to improve your position, you have to do things well, or better. We try to do it, improve in every game, we try to improve our situation and if we want to deserve a better position, we have to work hard to do it.
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