What pleased you the most about the win at Burnley?
Probably the attitude, the determination and the cohesion of the team. They went through
some difficult patches, where you have to compete, where they try to beat you physically
and test you. The team responded to that in a really efficient way.
On leadership in the team
I think we are building some leadership in the group. It’s a really young group, with
a lot of players under 23. Martin is the captain of the national team and Sambi was the captain
at Anderlecht. Martin has this capacity to do that with his talent, taking the ball in
moments where others probably refuse to, but as well with his attitude, his rhythm and
the way he presses and puts people under pressure.
On Odegaard not shirking defensive responsibilities
He’s probably the first to do it [those defensive responsibilities]. I was really
impressed with Auba as well - I think his rhythm and high pressing was fantastic. It
was a real commitment and purpose because you can go to try and win the ball or put
pressure [on] - but you can tell when you are really doing it or when you’ve been
told to do it. There was a big meaning behind it and when you go to places like that, when
you are having difficult moments and you want to start to get results, I think you have
to go to those basics and have every single player do that, even the ones that came on
- I think they were superb, lifted the momentum of the team and took us to a different level.
I think that’s really important.
On defending from the front
Absolutely. It’s the whole unit that has to be compact, that has to stay compact at
all times. The only way to do it is when the ball is moving, that everybody is moving.
If somebody starts to work, if the distances get split and the unit starts to break, there
is nothing. There is a lot of coaching now going on around the team. Young players are
starting to talk and communicate, and that facilitates a lot of things in the defensive
phase.
On the bond between players and supporters
Yes, that is why I mentioned it, because I felt it. I felt there was some connection
building and I think they realise what they have done, and the players have to show that
appreciation and gratitude like that did. That only brings more cohesion, more connection
and more relationships, closer relationships and that will strengthen the team for sure.
On ticket sales for the cup game
I am really happy to hear that [tickets sales are positive for the AFC Wimbledon match,
currently at approx. 48,000] because the boys are really looking forward to playing at the
Emirates again in the cup, winning that game is the only priority right now and then we
can think about Spurs and how special that is as well.
On the importance of momentum
Yeah, absolutely, and after the difficult start that we had in many different aspects,
when you start to win two games, you can win the third one. You get more momentum, more
confidence, everybody's back, and then you start to create a different feeling.
On Wimbledon being involved in lots of goal this season
I hope that we can expect goals from our side, but it's true that they've been really open
games with high scores. They are really direct, physical but at the same time, they have a
big goal threat in many situations, so it will be a tough opponent.
On how to approach the game
Focus. Focus, demand the highest standards, prepare the same way or even better. Make
the players understand that if somebody wants to play and is seeking an opportunity, it's
great that you're doing the right things in training and your behaviour is good, but this
is the opportunity to show us as well that you deserve to play and make it difficult
for us in team selection, so there we are. Those games are like any other game, an opportunity
for anybody to show that he deserves to be in the team and we are wrong.
On whether he'll rotate
I hope that I can put out the strongest team I can. That means that the players have performed
really well and then give a really strong performance and this is what we want to do.
On giving players minutes
Absolutely and you have to praise that for sure. Let's see who's available, how they
recover and what is the best way to approach the game.