Claudio Ranieri
How important is the game against Norwich?
It’s very big, was big against Newcastle. Another ‘crash’ between two teams who want to stay in the Premier League. We need the support of our crowd. We need the passion. We need everything. I’m sure we’ll do a very good match tomorrow.
Will Norwich come into the match with more belief after recently beating Everton?
Of course. They won against Everton and now they are full of confidence. Also, we are full of confidence after we drew the match in the last minute at Newcastle.
Did the late goal against Newcastle feel like a winner?
Yes, but also all the performance against Newcastle, not just [because] we scored a goal at the end. No, because we created very good chances. The second half, they scored a goal, but never they shot at goal. And for us, it’s very important now, get a point against Norwich. I know it will be a tough match but we are ready.
Is the key to staying up all about beating the other teams around Watford on the table?
Yes, of course. And of course, the Premier League doesn’t stop after Norwich, we have to continue to fight, to win, to draw, to lose. I hope very few losses. But that’s it. We are very very full of energy now.
Has the job been harder than you expected?
No, no, no. It’s the right pressure. I’m used to working with pressure. [It’s] the normal pressure. In Watford, I put myself under pressure because I want to save Watford as soon as possible.
Are the club looking to do any more transfers in January?
You know, my club is always watching around the world if there is something interesting for the squad, for the future. I’m okay, I’m okay, but of course, I leave everything open to my club.
How close are the club to signing Samuel Kalu?
It’s not close 100 per cent. For this reason, I said, if the club think he’s good for us, or for now, for the future, we are ready to train with him.
Is Liverpool defender Nat Phillips a player [you] would like to sign?
I like, a lot, Phillips. Now we are very very full of defenders. Until the end of the market, everything could happen. I’m an open mind, an open man. I’m an open mind, an open man, if something arises who can help us, I appreciate that.
Would a new defender only be signed if Watford players are sold first?
Yes, of course. Of course.
Is it useful not playing Burnley, so the new signings Samir, Hassane Kamara and Edo Kayembe can recover?
Of course, after the first match, I didn’t know what could happen with them. I was ready to change because for the first time they came with us, I didn’t know if they can play 90 minutes. And of course, after the first match, they trained very well during the week. They recovered very well. And they are ready, I hope, to show, the same performance, the same strength, the same quality.
Has the draw against Newcastle improved the mood during training?
Look, I think during the training session, every day, the confidence is very high. But of course, when you play maybe you are a little more anxious, no? Because when the result doesn’t arrive, slowly, slowly, maybe you lose a little confidence. But I push behind them because in my opinion – I told them, I told everybody – I have a very good team.
After a few recent solid defensive displays, does it feel like you could get a clean sheet soon?
Yes of course. If we win, the clean sheet can wait. It’s not important, now we need points. And also, if we score one more goal than our opponents, it’s okay.
After good wins against Everton and Manchester United, your form dropped off. Why was that?
Look, I think after those matches, we continued to play well. But of course, when you play against Chelsea and Manchester City you can lose. But we lost playing well. And of course, after Covid, [we had] the stop, and every day was different to prepare for every match. Now I hope we can continue in this way, train altogether and find a solution to win the match.
Do you need your players to play as well as they did against Everton and Manchester United to win against Norwich?
Look, I think the reason that I believe in my players, of course, is not only when we won against Everton or United, but also when we lost against Chelsea, City, and also Leicester. We made a very good match. We made a very good match. Of course, against City, it was difficult to press higher because we played just three days before and we needed to recover. But look, I’m very confident.
What do you see in your players that gives you the confidence to believe you will stay up?
I see how they work in the training session. They are very focused in what we are doing. The quality [is there] of course. They train with heart, with passion, they want to create a good atmosphere between us and the crowd together. To push together, to give some good satisfaction to our fans and the players, of course.
Is it a must-win game?
Yes, of course, we have to win, but don’t want to lose. This is a very important match for us, for them. It’s a very good match for the Premier League also. They came with a lot of confidence after they win against Everton. We come with good effort and confidence, I’m very happy after we drew the match with Newcastle. And I think it will be a very good match.
Were you frustrated that the Burnley game was called off or does it help you?
I’m not so frustrated because when you play, you have to play every two/three days. It’s not so good. Now, I hope when we play against Burnley, they have some days more to recover with another match. I don’t know if we play the fifth [of February], and after that, we play on the eighth. It will be a little crazy. Why? We have a week free, and we can maybe play a little earlier. That’s it.
What do you think about the talk of possible new rules for games being postponed due to Covid cases?
I don’t know. I don’t have any, we don’t have information. I hope they try to make a very right solution. It’s important for football. It’s important for football. It’s important for the players. It’s important in this moment I know it will be difficult to find a solution, a right solution. Because it’s not [an] easy moment with Covid, with everything.
