What's the latest injury news?
It is better to start with a smile. (Laughs) Yeah, we need to face this situation. I said also before we have to try to finish these three games in the best possible way. We have these injuries and I can confirm Richarlison is not available for the game. It is the same for Romero but Bentancur is much better. Today he was part of the training session. It was the same for Kulusevski, today he had half training session with us.
The problem is Lucas Moura is having some different phases for his pain in his tendon. Today he was really bad and he said to me he was really worried for this but I ask of him to try to be available because we need. Also Sonny you know is having now surgery. At the end, we have to be happy for qualification for the Champions League and now we have to try to finish these last three games in the best possible way.
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Sonny is having his surgery now?
Yeah, probably now, yes.
Some fans are worried that Romero might be focused more on the World Cup?
No, but about Romero I can tell you that for him, if I ask the possibility to play with one leg, he wants to play with one leg. For this reason I tell the fans we have players really committed for the club and maybe Romero, he had an injury because he wanted to risk and we wanted to take risk. Then he had this injury but for sure many teams are having big injuries and this is because we are playing every three days.
I think we are seeing this situation is impossible, it is impossible for the future and it would be important for the future to understand because many times I hear about the welfare of the players but it is only a polite way to show that you are really interested in the welfare of the players, because they are not really worried about the welfare of the players if the schedule is this. In every moment you show that the most important thing is the show must go on and then please I don't want to hear in the future, to listen about people speaking about the welfare of the players because this is not true.
Happy anniversary…
Do you see me older? After one year?
Are you proud of the year?
We must be happy because in one year we made a lot of progress in every aspect. To finish last season in the Champions League places, fourth place, and then this season [to qualify] despite a lot of important injuries - because we are not talking about fringe players. Many times people forget that there are teams that can allow to lose two, three, four players and other teams have to pay a lot when you have these big injuries of important players.
Sometimes people like to speak and they don’t understand what it means to face this difficult situation, what it means to play every three days with only 13, 14 players. What we are doing is important and I repeat, we are trying to manage the situation in the best possible way. Then if you ask me why it happens, a first half like Marseille, for sure I’m the first to be disappointed because the first half was really, really poor but the players know that. We didn’t prepare to have this type of first half, we wanted to be aggressive.
But I played football, I was a player, and I understand that sometimes when you have an important target to reach and if you prepare for another situation, mentally you want to defend. And also if you play in an aggressive atmosphere, because we found really an aggressive atmosphere in Marseille, it can happen, this type of situation. I spoke with my players and I think we have to be proud of the achievement because don’t forget last season we were not able to overcome the group in the Conference League.
If you ask me if we can improve, then yes. First of all, we need to recover all the players and then to try to improve in every aspect. But sometimes you have to play a game in a way you are forced to play, in a way you didn’t prepare, but you have to face difficulty and I’m proud of my players for their reaction in the second half. They showed me great desire to overcome the difficulty and to take this qualification that for the club, for the fans, for everybody is really important. In my opinion, I wasn’t so sure many people would say it.
You face Liverpool again, what do you remember of that last game at home?
It was an exciting game, we scored with Harry. 1-0. Then they scored twice and with 20 minutes to go Sonny levelled. It was an exciting game. A team we know very well. What we know about Liverpool, one of the best teams in the world. They are having a bit of difficulty this season. I am surprised about this and that some people are trying to criticise Liverpool after what they have done in recent years. They have one of the best coaches in the world and fantastic players. At the same time, we have a lot of problems but we want to play an important game in front of our fans.
What is your relationship like with Jurgen Klopp?
The relationship is normal. His story speaks of him, he has changed Liverpool. I remember very well, Liverpool didn't win for a long period and he needed four years to bring Liverpool to be able to win again. This shows that it is important for a coach to have time. If people don't know about football, they think that the story of this coach is a winner, it is not so. Jurgen shows that through the work and the matches and the transfer market that he improved Liverpool a lot and brought them to the top. For sure I can speak well about Jurgen and Liverpool and the players, they are definitely a good example for us.
Jurgen Klopp has just said it's crazy to have the World Cup mid-season....
To speak now about this topic is not useful. We knew about this situation, we knew it was crazy to put a World Cup during the League and the Champions League. This type of schedule is crazy. Honestly, it is really strange in England that we start to play three days after the final of the World Cup. We are the only country to do it. Italy, France, Spain and Portugal and other countries they are taking time to give rest and to breathe a bit. I find it crazy that December 21, after three days from the final, we are going to play a game in the Carabao Cup. I find this crazy. After three more days you have to play in the Premier League.
The show must go on, this is the truth, but honestly I don’t like it if the fans think some players try to protect themselves for the World Cup because this is not true, at least for my team. I see them every day. I am seeing RIcharlison with the will and the desire to come back and help us. Another player might stay and wait because there is only 10 days to the World Cup and instead Richarlison wants to come back and help us. It's crazy when you finish the World Cup and after three days they start to play.
You missed Euro 96 as a player with an injury, can you explain how hard it is to miss a major tournament?
Yes, in the Champions League final Ajax I had a bad injury in my ankle and to miss an important competition like this, I was really unhappy. In your life you know that these competitions like World Cup, European Championships when there is the possibility to play it's a great joy for every single player to represent your country. I missed it for injury because I had that bad injury in my ankle.
How difficult was it for you up in the stands on Tuesday night among the directors, did it give you a different perspective of the game?
It was terrible, it was terrible honestly. It was really strange also that my place was in the middle of the people, with fans. I think maybe UEFA could find a better situation.
It was really difficult for me because you stay there and you can’t help your team also with giving information, especially in the first half because we were really passive in the first half and to see you team struggle and you suffer, you suffer a lot.
For every coach his team is like a son, it's like my son or daughter, it’s my creation, and to see my players in such difficulty was really difficult for me, and unable to help them. For this reason I want to say thanks to my staff, because they did a really good job between the first and second half. Also the players, they showed great unity. The second half was different and we deserved to win the game.
Rodrigo Bentancur came to you as a three-time Serie A title winner but he's reached a new level under you. What have you worked with him on and how good can he become?
Rodrigo has only one problem in my opinion. He has the real possibility to be really, really top, top, but you know that to become a top player you need to will it and to decide this.
In the last period I think that Rodrigo has been playing in an outstanding way, and he's a player that is giving us a lot on the pitch, outside the pitch, and we are talking about a player that is showing the possibility to be one of the top, top midfielders, one of the best midfielders in the world.
But you know to be a good player and then the top that is the difficulty. When you are medium to become good is not so difficult. The difference is to be good to top.
I think he has everything and has the great potential to be a top, top midfielder. For this reason I push him. I push him every day, during the training sessions because he has this quality to become. Also Pierre Hojbjerg, he is making great progress if you compare last season and this season.
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