patrick vieira manager
Pleased with the performance today?
We showed today that we have improve as a team and this is what we wanted to is. From the first game that we play against Chelsea it was about how can we improve individually to allow ourselves to be more of a team and to be more solid collectively. When you’re looking at how the players work every day in training, we get rewarded with the result. We knew that this team has a potential and the potential is starting to be seen, but we still need to keep that will keep that work ethic and momentum going. When you’re looking at all the games that we played, today I think we we showed a maturity of the team. We make one step forward and it’s important for us to keep defending well as a team, and try to keep the clean sheet and creating chances and try to score goals. But today, our performance was excellent against really hard teams to play against.
Conor Gallagher
His performance has been been terrific. It’s been been excellent. Just about how he’s closing people down, the energy that he’s is giving the team. When you have a player like that, they start the pressing and everybody behind just following and work with him. He is in a really good period. He’s scoring goals, he is working well for the team. He wins a lot of balls in the midfield is playing really well at the moment. Obviously, there is a lot of confidence in himself at the moment and I think the team as well are doing well for him or to allow him to to express himself. So I’m really pleased with his performance today.
You’ve scored 13 of your 15 goals this season in the second half. And again, today, you sort of really kicked on and in the second half – how pleased are you with the perseverance of your team?
Really pleased. And I think this is as well is about keeping our organisation because in the first half teams are well organised and make it very difficult. So you will get a time where we can’t create chances because the opposition are playing better or we don’t move the ball quick enough. But today we were better in the second half and that allowed us to score those goals. But when we can’t score it is important to keep our shape and our organisation, our discipline and I think we did it well. In the second half, maybe the opposition were a little bit tired that allowed us to create more chances because they ran a lot in the first half. But from the first half to the second half, I think it’s just being patient and waiting for the right time to take our chances.
Does it matter to you that you’re scoring so many of your goals in the second half?
I think if we keep winning games by scoring only in the second half I will take that. But obviously, we want to improve every part of our game and it is important for us to analyse why we don’t score enough in the first half and try to improve that that side of the game as well.
Did you set Wilfried Zaha a goal target this season?
No we didn’t fix a target. I want more goals from him, I want more assists for him because of his ability and how important he is for us and I know that he is capable of doing it. He is one our leaders on the field. Having this ability comes with responsibility and he can deliver like he did today.
