Pierre Emile Hojbjerg
Can you put into words how big a loss Antonio Conte will be on the sidelines and Jose Mourinho once hid in a laundry basket, do you think Antonio has the confidence to try something like that?
First of all of course your head coach is a massive part of a team. Luckily he has a very good staff and players that are well aware of what he expects from them. We will all try our best to fill the role. In the end no one can fill his role but we will do our best to be together and make sure that we can get through this together, because we have to get through this together and we will do it. If he will hide in a laundry basket, I’m not sure I’m the one to ask. So in this case I don’t know. I think no.
Conte says he still thinks Spurs aren’t quite there in terms of mentality for a top team, you’ve played for Bayern Munich, a massive club, how far away do you think Spurs are from having the required mentality of a top team and how has it changed in the past year since Antonio came?
It is true that in one year the team has made great progress. We still have a way to go, but we are in the right direction and we are working really well. It is always up and down and there are always some moments better than others, but the most important thing is that we are working towards our ambition with great work and great focus. That is something we really are doing and I think everyone is responding well and the players are showing that they really care for this and they are willing to do everything by the end of this season to always be as successful as possible.
How much do you get from Conte on the sideline during a game?
He is a person and coach who lives the game with great passion, with his heart and we are feeling this in a good way. We have to make sure that we are well prepared, which we are. After we have to go to be successful together. The fact is that he will not be there on the sideline. We have to deal with that. Everyone is well aware, the staff is well prepared and we all know that we have to help each other. For me it is not a difficult situation, it is maybe a different situation, but we know what to do, we are well aware of the situation and as well the ambition. I understand your question of course but the focus is on the pitch and what we have to do, what we are preparing. After that we will do the best we can do.
Are the goals and assists this season a natural evolution of your game or are the coaches specifically working on that with you?
We are working intensely for quite a time, working intensely in a system where everyone is well aware what to do with specific roles, but we are always trying to look for improvement and new situations. When you get that confidence and understanding into the bones of the system, you start to come up with your own touch, which everyone is always trying to do. I’m not sure the coaches are telling me specifically to do that but it’s not a bad thing.
Would going out be a failure?
Our ambition is definitely to go through. This is the number one. The key and ambition is to go to the knock-out stages in the Champions League and this is what we are playing for 100 per cent.
Did you think you’d done it last week?
It doesn’t help us today, it was a rollercoaster of emotions but we have another opportunity.
You are half French, what are your thoughts on Marseille?
The history of the club is enormous, they have always had great players and it’s true today. We saw on the bus journey from the airport that it’s a footballing city. It’s going to be a tough game in an aggressive stadium. It will be a hard match but we will do our best.
