Team news? How is Gabriel?
We still have a day to prepare for the match. We will see tomorrow if they are all available.
No Bayern hangover?
We have a few but hopefully with another day we will be ok.
What did you think of Bayern?
Reflection done, Bayern finished. Now it’s just Aston Villa.
Did Saka calm down after the penalty?
Yes. He looked fine this morning. He had 48 hours to think about it and it was done.
What impressed you most about Aston Villa?
What have they done since Unai came in. He has made a huge impact in terms of performances. It’s consistently incredible what they do. They are in the European competition where they played last night. Really impressed with what they have done.
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What is the result of the last game?
We will know the results. We still have our task to win our game which is all we can control. This has happened a few times already, it will happen again in the coming weeks. Just focus on what we can do, what we can control against a really good team to beat them.
Are you happy that semi-automatic offsides came in?
Yes, if it is unanimous, that means it will be better. It will be faster and more efficient. Hopefully it will be better for us.
When is Timber coming back?
He still has a few steps to go. He has to play at least one game with the 23. We have a home game very soon. He has done everything in training, now it is about being fit, having people around him and playing in a football game which is different from training.
What can he give you when you return?
Let’s hope for a lot. From what we’ve seen in training and the time he’s been fit, he’s going to have a big, big impact on the team.
What’s the dynamic like right now?
Yes, it’s very good. We want to continue it. We have a very busy schedule and on Sunday we will have a very difficult game against a very good team. We’d have to be really good to do that.
Have there been 18 changes at the top of the league?
Oh, I really didn’t know.
How exciting is that?
Let’s hope it stays that way for the remaining six weeks. 18 is a beautiful number. I really like the eight. It was the number I played with, so let’s keep it.
How do players deal with pressure?
I think it’s just motivation. They have already experienced it and are very excited about what we are doing. The way the team performs and wins matches. We know the challenge before us and how good we need to be to win it. We will try.
Villa played in midweek and players are missing. Can you use it to your advantage?
We always try to use things to our advantage. We don’t know what they will do, we can’t control anything. They still won last night and they are a very good team.
Do you prefer to use VAR in Europe?
It is different with officials. You have to adapt. It’s a game played in a slightly different way and we’re trying to adapt.
Can Tuesday be tiring for your players?
I think I have to take a lot and mainly how we managed the game emotionally. We were very dominant and in front for 15 minutes and then we were behind. Then you have to deal with it emotionally. I think the team handled this situation wonderfully. Half time for every game in Munich.
You can’t teach that feeling, can you?
This is something you have to work on every day. With many aspects. When you are there you already experience certain things in your system and you have to deal with it.
Unai played his 1000th game on Thursday. What do you think about this?
Incredible and has done it in so many different countries and environments. It has been incredibly successful. He is very close to my hometown and I have huge admiration for him. I wish him the best after Sunday. What he does again is really impressive.
How decisive will the next two weeks be?
Very definitely. We can be in all competitions, whether we go to the semi-finals of the Champions League or not. Every game will determine our future.
It’s impossible to look just one game ahead, isn’t it?
It’s the only thing you can watch one day and one game at a time. It is the only thing that keeps you focused and determines the task at hand for the day, which is the only thing you can control.
So you never wake up thinking ‘I could be the first manager to win the league in 20 years at Arsenal’?
I don’t think that’s fair. I think about what we need to do to beat the next opponent and maintain the position we are in. It’s still a long way off.
How hard is it to maintain that focus?
It’s the work we live for. The game ends. 15 minutes after Luton I was watching Brighton in my office at the stadium. It’s like this. You don’t have time and you have to prepare the next one.
Will your defensive record win you trophies?
It’s a huge platform to win football matches, that’s for sure. We saw the difference on Tuesday when you accept and don’t accept and how you accept.
How do you keep the players relaxed and positive?
Of course. We have a lot of support from different sectors in different fields and expertise. Then it’s about understanding people’s mood and tweaking that every day to put them in the right zone to do that.
Do you have any special techniques to keep them in the right headspace?
I don’t know if they are special, but there are techniques to keep them there.
How was the touchline ban at Villa?
It was an experience. I deserved it. I had to go up because I got the yellow cards. I lived it. I didn’t like it so I hope it doesn’t happen again.
Did it make you change your behavior?
It is possible that I think so. Can I check it out a few times while I’m there? Sometimes it was better. Throughout the season, if you look at all the coaches that were banned, it’s no coincidence that they were all there.
Has everyone adjusted now?
It can. The rule emerged and was very aggressive. Every time we spoke it was like ‘oh you’re going to get a yellow card’. I think it’s a bit smoother now too. There is a bit more understanding both ways about what we expect from each other. This is.
Do you feel like you’ve gotten better at controlling your emotions this season?
I think it’s evolved, I don’t know if it’s for better or worse. It’s not for me to judge that at the end of the day it’s how much I help the club, how much I help the team and the individual players to try to perform and win as many matches as we can. And that’s the end goal, always.
Jesus talked about playing with “pain”, do you need to manage it the rest of the season?
In elite sport to play without pain I think is very difficult. When you’re playing every three days especially, and the level we’re playing at, if you ask any player they’ll say, ‘Yeah, sometimes there’s pain and you have to deal with it.’ That’s what makes you, too, and Gabi has that toughness and that character that he always wants to overcome [it]. He has overcome some injury difficulties and is fit again.
Are you actively trying to instill peace in your players during such a stressful time of the season?
I don’t know if it’s conscious. You guys know me. That’s how I feel. One way or another it is very difficult to hide it. That’s how I feel. I want to give the players the best support and mindset to enjoy this moment and achieve it and have a real sense of belief and determination to carry on for what we’ve worked so hard for for 10 months.
You don’t want to do anything that would distract them from the next game.
No, that’s for sure. They are extremely focused and determined. When a team is doing really well don’t touch. They have grown a lot as a team. Let them be themselves.
Did Kai need convincing that he could play as a 9?
No. In the first conversation I had with him, I told him what the idea was and where I could see him playing and impacting the team. He totally agreed with that, he’s very comfortable switching positions, he’s done it with us, he’s done it with Chelsea and the national team and he’s got that ability to adapt. If he feels good — sometimes it’s about who he’s surrounded by and what we’re asking him to do, more than the position.
Do you think they are more comfortable at 9 than at 8?
I’m not sure I think it depends on the game, on the behavior of the opponent and their role in the day. But I wouldn’t say he’s more comfortable as a nine, I think he obviously had a tremendous impact as a nine, but he did very similarly as an eight.
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