Antonio Rudiger finally got his goal but then it all fell apart after that pretty quickly, did the players perhaps lose focus after that goal because of the celebrations?
"I like when the players celebrate. Obviously, it was strange as we were working hard for that first goal and we know how hard it is to create chances against Brentford. They defend either very high and man-mark or they defend very, very deep in a blow of ten men around the box. So it's very hard to create chances.
"You need to be patient, have a fluid rhythm, be very intelligent and also very clinical to take little chances and have that first goal and break the block down. Once we had it, we stopped defending and gave three goals away in ten minutes which is very untypical and gave the game away for us.
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"I don't know why. We gave a big chance straight away after the goal, and then the next one was a goal. From there, we did not defend mature enough. We were not aware of the danger in these moments which is also very strange for us. We got punished. They made the most of these ten minutes which is maybe not normal. So it's a summary of strange events but it's on us and it's our fault.
"It was a tough start for us. We felt a bit leggy which is normal after the international break. But after maybe 20-25 minutes we controlled the match, controlled the rhythm and got better and better. We became more fluid, created half-chances and deliveries, and second half I was happy with the start.
"Then we get the goal which is normally exactly what we wanted to open up new spaces and push the game onto our side. But the opposite happened and I don't know why it happened."
Was the international break and the travelling done by your players a factor?
"You don't need to lose as a consequence. I am aware of it and I am aware that my expectations were not too high about this match from the start. It is difficult after an international break to play as the favourite, to dictate the match and break down a difficult and well organised team.
"They are a very physical team. It makes things very difficult. I agree if we conceded the first goal and second one and could never catch up, but we were in the lead and in charge. I didn't see it coming. I felt us getting better and better. I felt that we deserved the first goal, got a beautiful first goal and I don't know why the next 10 minutes cost us the game."
Edou Mendy in the first game between these sides was excellent. But what did you make of his performance today?
"Actually, I have to watch it again. I think it is an unthankful game for a goalkeeper. Also for him, he has a lot to process. That's why he goes and plays these tight matches – a rematch of the African Cup Final to qualify for the Qatar World Cup. He does another penalty shootout and he can feel it. He is part of the team and unfortunately, he couldn't help us like he did in the first match."
Was there half an eye on the Real Madrid game with your team selection?
"No, absolutely not. We selected the team because we thought it was the best team against Brentford. Not half an eye or one percent of one for Real Madrid."
Was there anything in the players' heads thinking about the big game on Wednesday?
"Maybe if we lost 1-0 or 2-0, or starting too late. But this was not the case. We struggled in the beginning but I felt us more tired mentally. Not fresh enough. This is normal. Yesterday, we were wearing gloves and it was snowing in training. Today, it was very, very warm. Again, it's more difficult for us than them to play as the underdog and be well prepared for this match. We are well prepared but are in one half of a training session.
"It is more difficult, but in the context of all this I am ok with the first half. The half-time speech was like this. A reminder to keep on going, a reminder of where the spaces are, where we want to accelerate, where we want to stay patient, where we want to take more risks and it would come with more fluidity. And it did. We started very well. I did not see the distraction there so why should we be distracted and think about Real Madrid when we are one goal ahead. Maybe it was the general feeling that now we are ahead and have it, and we got punished for that."
No Trevoh Chalobah in the squad, was that selection?
"Just selection. We decided to play with a back four and we chose our four central defenders."
Were they any injuries with the players that came off?
"We have nobody injured."
Last season West Bromwich Albion came here and claimed a similar result, is this just another blip?
"It seems like it. After so many wins and so many good results, I will now refuse to make a drama out of it. Why should we? Brentford made a lot of the ten minutes we gave them. After the third goal, we had a disallowed goal, a pressing situation against the goalkeeper, and another big chance from Kai Havertz. We missed all three of them and there was a feeling that it wasn't our day. So it's a mixture of everything.
"I would not rely on it being destiny or it happens. We will dig in and try to find out why it was like this. There are some reasons which we can put on us and we will analyse and digest it. There is no other It's hard to take because it's very unusual for us what happened today. Then we will refocus on Monday."
