patrick vieira manager
What is the latest with Joachim Andersen’s injury?
He’s not going to travel, he is not 100%.
When do you think he might be available and what’s the extent of the injury?
We don’t know. We have to evaluate the injuries every day and see how he’s feeling. But for the game tomorrow it will be too short.
Reflections on the Aston Villa defeat and how the team can develop going forward?
I think we have always been clear about the way we want to play the game. And we knew that there are a couple of parts of the game that we need to work on to improve as a team. And obviously, the game against Villa wasn’t good enough. We know those parts of the game that we need to work on to improve and we didn’t do enough against Villa to get the result.
What problems will Leeds give you, their intensity?
I think the intensity and the organization is something that I think reflects quite well – the philosophy of the team. We expect them to run and run behind and stretch our back four and don’t forget that they’ve got individual talent as well, who can score or create something during the game. So it’s a difficult place to go. But I think after the game that we played against Villa we want to go back to the way we know we can play.
Marcelo Bielsa said the fixture schedule is partly to blame for Leeds’ drop-off in intensity this season from last season, do you think there is an impact on players and coaches?
I think the way that Leeds play is really demanding and obviously a lot of energy game after game is really difficult to maintain. But I think when you look at the game as well, they’ve been really unlucky in some of the games where they should have scored and they didn’t.
I think at the moment things are not going their way but that doesn’t take away the energy and the quality that they have. Regarding the physicality from last year to this year, it is difficult because I didn’t watch them play so many times last year, but this is the team that for me, play with organisation and energy, and that didn’t change, really.
So I think they’ve been unlucky not to win a couple of the games that they played so far. And reading the calendar, I think it’s the same for everybody. So we just have to adapt to the number of games that we have to play.
You have one game almost every four days in December, how do you prepare for such a taxing schedule?
We know it is going to happen, and we have a squad of 25 players. So obviously if I’m waiting just at that period to get some of the players ready, it will be really difficult. This is something that we have planned since the first game of the season, we always say that everybody will have an important part to play.
Those games will give the opportunity to some of those players to play games and to show their quality and this is what I will expect from those players because they’ve been training really well. And the only thing that they are expecting is to play games. This is what players want. So they will have the opportunity to play and they will have to take that chance as well.
Ralph Ragnick – both Thomas Tuchel and Jurgen Klopp have spoken about him, what are your thoughts on him coming to the Premier League with Manchester United?
I think you mentioned two people who know him better than anybody else. Obviously, I know the name, I know what he accomplished when he was in Germany, I know he is someone who is well respected in football. I’m like everyone else, I will wait and see what he does in Manchester but it’s always good to have someone with that experience in the Premier League.
Conceded a lot from set-pieces but not much time to work on it ahead of tomorrow’s game?
I think we don’t have time to work on that on the field but there is always using images and talking to players about their roles and responsibility on set-pieces. So it’s always good to clarify some points for everybody to understand that when there is a set-piece we have to be more concentrated, more determined and we have to change our mindset.
How have you assessed Leeds’ performance overall because it has been a tough start for them?
Yeah, it’s been a tough start. I believe that they are a good team and good side. They’re not maybe at their best at the moment and we have to take that as an advantage and try to go there and to play and to try to play better than we did against Aston Villa.
Memories of Elland Road?
It’s a fantastic stadium. It is the fan base, the atmosphere; it’s a great place to play football.
How good is it to play so soon after the Aston Villa result?
When you play a game that you didn’t perform at your best, you always want to play straight away. Because you want to bounce back, you want to play better. And that’s why I think that the game is coming at the right time. We want to play because we were disappointed with the way we played against Villa.
How important is momentum at this time of the year?
The momentum is important. The rotation of the players as well will be really important. We’re going through a period where there’s a lot of games, so we need to find the right balance for the players to perform and for the team to perform.
Concerned about the number of goals you’re letting in?
Yes, I think conceding goals, but we are scoring goals as well. What we need to do is to find the right balance. I think at the moment when you’re looking at the goals that we concede, the majority of them come in set-pieces and the majority of them are in the second contact. This is a massive improvement that we have to make if we want to win football matches.
Good to see Eberechi Eze back on the pitch against Villa?
I think it’s good for him, for the club and the fans. He needs to play games, he needs time to get to his best and we will give him the support that he needs.
Are set-pieces a more important part of the game now than when you played?
No, this has always been important in the game. Big games sometimes are decided by set-pieces. We maybe didn’t spend enough time on that. But we have to be sure that we are improving and we are getting better because we are conceding too many goals on the set-pieces.
This is a fact and we have to do improve and the best way to improve obviously, is to practice that on the field. But it’s also for the players on the field to have the right mindset to defend when we need to defend.
Do you enjoy the intensity of playing every few days at Christmas or are you like other managers and don’t like the hectic schedule?
I think the majority of the players prefer to play games than to train. But at the same time when you play every three or four days like that, the quality from one game to the other can be different. So for the manager, I think the question is always to rotate the players at the right time and to find obviously the tactical approach of games so players can be more fresh from one game to the other. But at the same time, it’s all about how quick you can recover what you’re doing between the two games. And obviously, you will need the staff around with the medical department to help those players to recover as soon as possible to be fresh for the next one.
How do you get that balance right between making sure your team can still be entertaining and score goals but also keep them out at the other end?
It is about understanding the moment between the offensive moment and the defensive moment. I think if we manage to defend well on set-pieces then I think we will concede less goals. In open play we manage to do well with not conceding so many chances. Obviously, the balance has to be right between attack and defence but overall I’m really happy with the approach of the game, playing with the attacking mindset.
When you go to places like Arsenal, City and Burnley, you’re always going to concede chances, so it’s really difficult travelling away from home and defending for the 90 minutes not conceding a goal. So we want to play on the front foot, we want to score goals and I think the players enjoy doing it as well, so we need to find the right balance to keep scoring those goals but obviously to concede less to allow ourselves to do more for the matches.
