Do you believe in fate?
I do believe in fate. It was an extraordinary day and a beautiful experience at the end. Dramatic but worth living it because there was the greatest end to it.
What are the emotions after that?
Everybody is overwhelmed.. It was madness from the first seconds with that routine and we defended so poorly. Then we had to climb a mountain against ten men behind the ball. We tried in every single way, we didn’t score and suddenly we are 2-0 down from a set play.
After that it was don’t lose shape or discipline, do all the simple things right and we did that. We showed a lot of maturity and resilience. We scored one and then the atmosphere and energy changed. 31 shots and when scored second then it was ‘throw the toys out and let's go for it.’ The subs made a huge impact and I am so happy for Reiss today. It was an incredible day in the end.
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What do these comeback victories say about your character?
A lot. The team and individuals today showed a different level of will to win and determination and initiative. Because when the game gets ugly there is a moment when you can lose momentum and start to hide and navigate through the game. But the players didn’t do that. They wanted the game, they wanted the ball every time, they took risks, they took the initiative, they kept trying until we broke them down and it was great to see that from the team.
What were your emotions at the end?
Crazy. You lose sight of where you are. I didn’t know where I was running to. But just looking at the faces of everybody, our staff, the players, all the supporters. The smiles and all that joy in their eyes, it’s just great to live.
Were you wishing Reiss wouldn’t take the shot on because the last few shots outside the box hadn’t gone to plan?
I don’t know. We put him in the training ground and 50 times put him there I don’t know if he’ll score. But he did it in the perfect moment for the team, the perfect moment for himself and he fully deserved that the kid.
There’s been a lot of time-wasting this season. What do you have to say when teams do that against you?
Every team tries everything they can to win the game and you have to respect that. I was talking to Andre and he told me it was at least six minutes. Today thankfully we had enough time to win the game.
Was Smith Rowe coming off pre-planned?
We didn’t plan to throw him in so early. We knew it was difficult for him to last 70 minutes on the field after missing nearly five months. But I think he had a good impact,t but at the end I felt we needed something else on the left because we were lacking threat and we were attracting more players in to that side. That’s why we made the decision to bring Reiss on.
Have you ever seen or heard the stadium like that?
No. it’s probably the loudest and the most emotional moment that we have lived together. The journey that we’ve been on together and how the supporters and the players are gliding together. Adding into that moment, it’s really special.
How’s Leandro Trossard?
It is a worry. He came to me and said I cannot continue I felt something when I was tracking back after the corner. We had to take him off and we have to assess him and see how he is.
What does it say about Reiss that he was ready to produce after a time out?
I always saw the potential, the talent and the desire for him to do it, but he’s at a different level right now. I think emotionally, the experiences that he had helped him. Football-wise, it was my decision in the last two games not to play him because we had other options. But he was knocking on the door, he’s been training really good and it’s a good lesson for me and for the coaches that we need him and that he can be really important for the team.
What did you make of Bournemouth scoring so early?
Credit to them. They try different things from kick off, they have routines for every single set play. I am sure they worked on it and today they scored a really good goal. Really poor from us.
Will you play Martinelli up front now with Trossard potentially out along with Jesus and Nketiah?
The way they were defending, we thought it was the best way to do it. We have alternatives. Emile can play in that position. We can move players, we have Reiss as well who can give us width and threat in wider areas. We have to assess every opponent. Now we have Lisbon, a really tough match. Let’s hope we get one or two players back.
How do you maintain focus after a victory like that?
First enjoy tonight, please. I just told everybody to have some fun when you go through moments like this, you have to enjoy it because it is not a lot in football. Tomorrow we can go back to work.
What can this type of win do for your belief?
Winning four games in the Premier League is very difficult and we have done three in a week, which is even harder. We have done it in various ways and that should generate more belief. Today a lot of things went against the team. Our fault in the first one, then the fact we weren’t scoring, the situation with Leo, the first set play they had, they scored. The team still found a way to win the game and that is really positive.
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