How unfair was that result on your team?
I think we would have deserved the draw. Merits to deserve it. Within that we were able to create danger. It was nice to watch. For us to establish differences was a great challenge. Hard for us to defend, but we did it well. It was difficult for us to attack, but moderately we created chances.
As a coach, what can you say when players make rash decisions?
Football has a high percentage of actions that are unexpected and the errors are part of the game. They are what’s possible within the game. Unless they’re linked to being uninterested [inaudible] or unjustified in increments, for my optic I would not classify those two penalty decisions like that.
How special a moment was Joe Gelhardt’s first Premier League goal?
It was a goal that reflects his qualities and his form. He was in the right place at the right moment. I think those characteristics at this level is important, especially as it was a goal that allowed us to level the game, not a [consolation]. 2-2 away from home against Chelsea.
Flashpoint at the end of the game. What was your view of what’s gone on there?
In a game with emotions that were so high, with liberating passions. At the end, this was excessive. [inaudible] I saw it within the margin of what is tolerable and it was justified. I insist all of us hoped it would not happen. I did not think we overcame grave limits.
Why was there a delay in introducing Joe Gelhardt during the second half?
It was the type of game that allowed Gelhardt to receive the ball with certain frequency. I thought with James and Harrison we could build up on the outside, Dallas and Junior accompanying those players. I thought bringing on someone with Tyler in the middle would have helped to fortify in the middle.
Why was Pascal Struijk missing today?
He was going to play the game, and in yesterday’s training he had a movement, two of the bones in his foot collided and that produced a pain. There’s no risk, the pain is difficult to tolerate and the inflammation didn’t go down from yesterday to today and last minute we couldn’t count on him.
Jamie Shackleton played wide today – was there a tactical point to that?
That was the position in which Dallas was going to play. The defence was going to be Ayling, Llorente, Pascal and Junior. Pascal wasn’t able to be under consideration. Dallas played in place of Ayling, Ayling and Llorente played as a pair instead of Pascal and Llorente. And in front of Ayling, behind Raphinha, was given to Shackleton. It was a player we imagined could reproduce what Dallas could do in that position.
How much faith does that performance give you going into the fixtures coming up?
No game is alike but the performance today but I think we can recover the version that allows us to compete with the best.
