Aaron Ramsdale
What does that victory do for the mood of the team?
Yes, when you lose a game as quick as possible you have to win. Today’s match is going to give us some confidence. We have players that play some first minutes, for example Auba after COVID to get some minutes and score three goals for his confidence is going to be great. I think overall it was a positive night.
Does that show his quality and what he’s still got?
Absolutely. I said before that the leadership has to come from the senior players. The solutions and the tools to win football matches and the rest has to be the complement to that. With the energy and the passion and the vibe they bring to the club. I think tonight it was a good example.
That must really lift everybody?
Absolutely. The spirit has been really positive to be fair. I’m really pleased with winning tonight, scoring six goals away from home, getting a clean sheet and being in the next round. I’m even more pleased about the preparation in the last two days. The togetherness that the players are showing, the dedication, how much they want to turn this situation around. I’m really happy for them and the fans today that we can give them something to share because we had a lot of supporters here tonight.
You played Aubameyang upfront today whereas in the pre-season games you played him on the left wing. Do you plan to use him in both positions?
I think Auba is really comfortable playing in either position. We have Laca as well as a nine that he came on later. With the players we had available today and the plan we believed was better we decided to play Auba upfront.
The away end was vocal throughout. Does having an away end make it a more motivational feel around those games?
Winning always helps but the motivation and the desire to go to Manchester and win the match is not going to change at all. It’s great to see the support that we got from the fans today. They came all the way here on a midweek night to support us, the players were talking about it. We need to get ready physically and mentally to go to Manchester and try to win.
Arsenal have drawn Wimbledon in the next round. In terms of your selection would that give you more of a chance to bring in younger players?
Well, I think we played more young players than any other team in the league – I don’t know how many more we can play!
How is Saka after the game?
Yeah, I think he got hit in the knee. He was sore and he’s limping right now. Hopefully he’s going to be okay.
Do you think having fans back will make a difference to Auba?
I hope they do. Obviously he’s a really happy character. He needs that connection with his family, friends and fans. You can see the interaction when he left the pitch. I think that’s something really positive for him, yes.
A perfect debut for Ramsdale?
Yes, really happy for him. He hasn’t trained a lot with us but you can see the quality that he has. He’s a really young goalkeeper. He’s done a lot already in the league, you can see the personality he has when he plays.
