Thomas Tuchel
Another win, could it have been a bigger margin?
Yeah, absolutely. We created, specially in the second half, a lot of chances because we could find the spaces to accelerate our game better It was difficult in the first half but we were always in control, second haf we created a lot in the transition game and also with a more self confidence and rhythm in possession. We had a lot of chances, we could have won by more, a well-deserved win and I am super happy with the win.
Kai Havertz has taken time to settle in, how did you rate his performance?
I am very happy with his performance. There is no doubt about his quality, talent and character. He needs to adapt to the Premier League and to the club where we play to win every game and the highest standards are normal. This kind of mentality but I think he did it today excellently, he got in godo positions and used his potential to accelerate our game and to increase the touches in the box responsible for assists, to take responsibility to finish himself. This is what we want from him.
Momentum along with confidence and belief in the top four which is the target?
If you play maye as a hobby or with friends, if you share special moments, good results, a hard fight, this is what brings you together, lifts you up to a special place and performances, gives you energy. I truly believe that this sport is about team effort, I can feel the strong bond between the players, they are not talking about it but they live it in training and this is what you see on the pitch. I can feel it on the toyme, I can feel the support and I feel the positive energy from everybody around the team towards my staff. Everybody is doing everything in a really positive atmosphere and we need this to continue.
Made changes for a big game, do you know your best XI yet or adapt to opposition?
If you play in competitions like Premier League and Champions League and Cup there is no way you have eleven players in your head. First of all, whoever you see on the pitch deserves to be on the pitch and we need to analyse what we give in there. We cannot just keep players on the pitch to keep them going. Sometimes it is like this, but after two intense games and away games with a lot of travelling and we missed a lot of sleep between Atletico, Man U and Liverpool, it was the moment to change. My belief there was no doubt because the guys who were on the pitch deserved it. We changed also a little bit because of the characteristic fo the offensive players because we expected a bit of a man marking in offensive midfield so we went for speed and for deep runs today. I want to have the choice and when I have the choice sometimes it is a tactical decision. For Kurt Zouma today it was simply well, well deserved and Toni needed, in my personal opinion a little break because he played in such a high, intensive concentration level, it was outstanding. So there is a reason for every change and you cannot just say I trust you guys. If you trust them you have to let them play. This is the best situation we did not lose quality at all. Everybody feels it and they can play on a high level.
Lack of minutes for Christian Pulisic, why?
Yes, I can say nothing else but good things about him. Maybe his biggest problem is that I know him from Dortmund and I think he started only in the cup games. It is my responsibility and it is a bit unfair but I know what impact he can have in the last 20 or 30 minutes. He was a bit unlucky in the last few games. It isn’t a lack of trust or quality, it is just that he will have to be patient. I have another guy who I would love to mention in Emerson who suffers from bad decisions by me. He does not play but he is an amazing guy who trains at the highest level and he never lets the team down with his mentality. It was a super hard decision today to have him out of the squad, the same with Tammy. It is like this, we have a strong group. The guys have to keep on fighting. There’s no other way.
Celebrating on the bench for a clean sheet, a big desire to enjoy defending?
Yes, it is about desire and effort. We want to attack so it is not about wanting clean sheets through parking the bus in front of the goal. It is about a certain style of defending which we try to do as high up as possible, we try to have high ball recoveries, we try to defend as high as we can but sometimes it is necessary to defend deep. In the end, it is always a team effort. Defending is about reliability, trust, courage and you can defend bravely if you know the guys around you will help you when you lose a challenge. This can happen all the time. It is about principles, being reliable and trusting if you step out to attack up front. This is what we are doing at the moment. We can adapt to many offensive questions that are asked of the opponent at the moment. That’s why to bring it all together is a high quality of defending in the group. They are super hungry to fight and limit chances because it gives us a good feeling.
