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Is it the same squad for this weekend?
Yeah the same, only Lucas is not available. The other players are all available for the Leicester game.
Eric Dier has been recalled to the England squad, how proud are you of him and tell us about Dier under your management?
First of all I’m really pleased because when my players are called up to the national teams, we are really proud. Because it means we are working very well, and we are trying to help the players to go with the national teams. In this case for Eric it was a really good achievement for him, but what I can only tell him is that this has to be a point of start. That he has to gain the possibility to go to the World Cup, especially in this month and a half that we have before the World Cup. To continue to play well, to have a good performance, to show he has really good stability, that he is a really reliable player. And what I can tell him is only this – continue on this way, to continue to work hard and have this concentration. For the rest I think my staff and I and team-mates are very happy for this call up to the national team.
On Tuesday did the players know how disappointed you were, but also do people have to remember a year ago you were in the Conference League and now the Champions League?
I think we need to be disappointed but I’m into the people to be disappointed with the players because the final result was a negative result for us. Especially as I watched the game and I think we lost a big chance. Not only to draw but to get three points, and in this type of situation you have to be a bit upset because normally when you have the possibility to get three points you have to do it. Then we are talking about a loss in the last two minutes. For this reason we have to be upset – me, the players, the club, but you know in football it’s a good experience. Don’t forget that in Europe in all away games last season we lost – against Pacos de Ferreira, against VItesse, Against Mura. And then we drew with Rennes but we deserved also to lose to Rennes. It means that maybe we have to d o something more in the future – especially as we are in the Champions League, before we were in the Conference League. I think we did an important step forward but now we have to show that we deserve to stay there.
What do you want to see from your players that you didn’t see in Lisbon?
You know very well that we have to try in every game to get a win. This has to be our reality and for this reason you have to understand that when we lose, we are totally in the opposite side. And for this reason we have to feel, we have to be a bit angry, and to try and have a good reaction. Because now we have the possibility to play another game in the Premier League, and for us it’s important to get a win, but at the same time you know you’re playing against Leicester. The table at the moment is not faithful to them because we are talking about a really good team, a really good squad. We are talking about Brendan Rodgers who is a really good manager who won a lot in his career. For this reason we have to pay great attention.
Are you wary of a backlash from Leicester?
When you play against Leicester…and Leicester I think in England they became a good team, a difficult team to play. Don’t forget that they won a Premier League with Claudio Ranieri. They won an FA Cup, maybe two years ago, three years ago. They won the Community Shield against Manchester City. We are talking about a club that in the last seven years they won. They won something in England. It means that we are talking about a really good club, a really good squad, a good manager and with great ambition. That’s it.
Can Dier play in a back four?
I think we are talking about a player who has a lot of versatility. He is a player that can play in the centre when you defend with three at the back. He can play as a central defender with four at the back, but at the same time he can play as a pivot, as a No4. You can see during the game also especially when we are going to build up and we use him and he becomes a midfield. We are talking about a really good player that, in my opinion, he has grown a lot physically, mentally in his mind, and you can see a player that now he knows his capacity. Now he is an important player, but as you know very well football changes the situation quickly, and he has to continue in this way, with humility, to be humble to continue to work very hard, to continue to have the right ambition, the right desire, to be an important player. It’s happening like this. For me, for sure, I will push him always, but not only him. I try to push every single player to give more and more and more.
There are no players that are undroppable. This has to be very clear. There are no players that are undroppable. Because if I tell this, it’s only to try to help my players and to try to avoid injuries, to try to have players at the top of their form and to have a good performance. If I am telling this it is only to protect my players and to give them the possibility to be, in every moment, at the top. Then you know very well you can play one game well, another you can score, another not, but my task is to try to protect my players and to protect the team. Also to find the right way to have a result. Don’t forgot sometimes when you don’t start with certain players, it means during the game you have this player with the possibility to use him during the game. But I repeat if we want to play this four competitions and especially I repeat the Champions League because it is different to play Europa League or Conference League. Europa League and Conference League can give you the possibility in the group stages to make rotations and then also if you drop a bit the quality of the starting XI, maybe you can win the game. In the Champions League they are always massive games and for this reason I need to have all my players available. I need all my players available for rotation to be in every moment ready when I call them to play and to play well for the team, for the club, for the fans, for everybody.
You’ve rotated Sessegnon and Perisic but not Emerson, are you still concerned by Matt Doherty’s fitness?
I can explain because I like to be honest, not only with you but first of all my players. In this first part of seven (eight) games, don’t forgot we had players like Matthew that had serious injury and I said in the past that he is struggling a bit to come back the player I knew last season. For sure now he is improving a lot and I am sure now there is the international break, he will have the possibility to have two games with the national team and then he will come back and for sure I am I will have the possibility to have another rotation with him. It was the same with Skippy because in this period, Skippy was injured with a serious injury. Don’t forgot Skippy played his last game in January, maybe December. Another player we have to recover from injury. Then there are players like Richarlison, who went into the team quickly, Lenglet was the same, Perisic was the same. The only player that is struggling a bit with the tactical aspect is Bissouma, but also he is improving a lot in every aspect. I am sure when we start again and play 12 games, for sure he is another player I can count on but I try to take the best decision for the player because I want to protect the player. At the same time I want to protect the team and everybody. For sure we know very well when we start again to play 12 games in one month, you have to be ready. You have to be ready because I need all my players.
Emerson is not a naturally attacking wing-back like those you’ve worked with in the past, have you been working with him to improve that attacking side of his game?
In my opinion Emerson, he had a good start in this season and he can play in this position and is doing well. In the last game, in Sporting Lisbon, he can score three goals, not one, he can score three goals. In every game he is totally involved and don’t forget Emerson played every game in this period. For sure now he can be a bit tired because the wing-back, you can be fatigued because you become a striker when you are going to attack and you have to become a defender when we have to defend, but I’m really happy about Emerson’s performance because you have to think, compare last season and he’s made a good improvement. He has to continue to work to do it and at the same time you know that we also have Ivan Perisic who can play on the right or left and Sessegnon, he is fit and he’s in a good moment of form. For sure maybe he’s one of the players that in this moment deserves to play, like Deki, but we’ll do it with the right time and the right patience, to try to do the best for our team.
You mentioned that Bissouma has struggled with the tactical aspect, has that surprised you for a player who was more expensive than some of the other signings?
If you compare other midfielders I have seen that other teams spent £60m, £70m, £50m. It depends on the view. I think that we spent the right money. Don’t forget that we spent a lot of money on players that now have gone out on loan. It doesn’t matter if you spend money, you need to have players to go into our idea of football. There are players that do this quickly like Richarlison, Lenglet, like Perisic and then other players that need a bit of time. Also the midfielder is a specific role for us, with the ball and without the ball. It’s not simple. I ask for some moments, some positions. They have to be a point of reference in every moment of the game. The midfielder for sure, to go into our idea of football is maybe the most difficult position, but we are talking about a player that has great skill, good running. With the ball he’s really good, defensively he has to pay more attention. More attention because especially we only have two midfielders and then they have to be good with the ball and without the ball, but I’m really happy with his signing.
Have you considered playing with a three in midfield?
I think we tried to sign a player with the characteristics to play in a two. Then it happened during the game when sometimes we were winning to play with the three midfielders. In the past I’ve played with two strikers and three midfielders but this team when you have players like Sonny, Richarlison, Kulusevski and Kane, I think the best system we can play is [with two midfielders]. We need only a bit of time to work with [Bissouma], for him to understand and to understand well. Now we have two reliable and important players in Hojbjerg, who for me he made important progress and now I think he’s a really strong player. The same for Bentancur. Don’t forget Skippy, who is really young. We’re talking about a prospect but for me he’s always been reliable and for this reason I count on him. It has to be very clear because for me Skippy is an important player as a midfielder, also gives me the opportunity to make rotation. For sure in the next 12 games, he can have a better physical condition and I can count on him also, Bissouma, Matthew. We need all the players in the squad because we have every game is massive. For this reason we need to have energy, energy, energy. If we think we have to play with the same players we’re not going to have good results.
