00:00You managed to rest and rotate a few players, but still got a cup of injury and a big win.
00:07How would you sum up the evening?
00:09Yeah, rest, that's quite a positive word to use. We had to make some changes. We had
00:15a very demanding week at every level, emotionally, physically, what the game demanded. In the
00:21tactical and technical aspect of it, we were asked to play three days later, one less recovery
00:26than them, and still performing the way that we've done it against a team that is super well coached,
00:31very well organized, that they are very clear how they want to generate big chances, and they are
00:37really good at doing that. So one nil we knew wasn't enough. I don't think we conceded anything apart
00:42from the say that they had to make on the corner, but the game was always open, you know, and we
00:47needed that extra energy to close it. And maybe when we didn't have it, we had the courage to take
00:53the ball under pressure and to start to break their press through very good movement and purpose
01:00with the ball to go and score a second goal and win the game.
01:03Anything worrying about the players who play ball?
01:05Yes, obviously, it's never good news. Declan had to come off. We don't know. We have to see
01:09tomorrow what he's got. In most cases, the other one that is out. Obviously, we have big
01:14Gabi and Willy out as well. So we have to adapt. It's been a theme this season, but when I look at the
01:21players that they haven't been playing much, for example, Ben White, the performance that he had
01:24on Martin that has been out and he puts 96 minutes under his belly straight away,
01:29Nani, the same victor that is coming and now he's getting some minutes as well. So very pleased to see that.
01:34Just a word on Michael Marino, who keeps showing that he can be one kind of a striker as well.
01:40He was immense again, I think, today. The way he scored the ball, super smart, his timing,
01:46the way he wins the position and execution. But after his overall performance, with the ball,
01:50without the ball. I remember an action that he passed the ball to Martin in behind. Martin
01:55doesn't chase it. He makes 40 metres to chase it to a corner flag and goes back, wins the ball back.
02:01He is everywhere. Nani's goal with that really good momentum at the moment and he makes the team much
02:07better.
02:07Gary, Sky Sports?
02:08Michael, obviously at the beginning, take a breath from our soft minds when Declan went
02:13down and came off. He seemed to be moving all right at the end when he got back onto the pitch,
02:18with some, a little bit of strapping maybe on his calf, his left calf. Can you give us any more
02:23signs?
02:23Talking about fans and support, I asked them to be here at 7.30, I think they were earlier. So thank you so
02:28much to all of them for being with us, because we needed that energy today. He could not carry on
02:35playing, so we have to wait and see tomorrow what happens.
02:37He's moving all right. Seems to be moving.
02:40Yeah, he can walk. He can not play.
02:42He's played a lot of minutes, hasn't he, Vars. He's up for England, so would it almost be a precaution
02:47anyway if he went down to the pitch?
02:48Yeah, the thing is, play a lot of minutes, but as well, when? You know, now we play Wednesday
02:52night and we have to play Saturday morning as well. We can play minutes, but if they can,
02:57please, give us just a little bit more time to recover and to make the welfare of these players
03:02a little bit easier, that would be great.
03:04Tom, for Brandon.
03:05Michael, there was a clean sheet for the first time since November for the Slavia Prague game,
03:12five goals conceded in those games since then. There was a big moment when you broke that
03:16record for clean sheets back in November. I guess now you want to start that record again.
03:20It was important to keep a clean sheet.
03:22Yeah, we talked about it. I think it was four games that we managed to do that for different
03:26reasons. We conceded from a set-piece against Chelsea and against Sunderland as well. The other
03:31ones are a little bit different today. We probably should have conceded a goal if it's not for David as
03:38well and the save that he's made, but I think, apart from that, we didn't really conceded much.
03:43What was the specifics of Mosquera's injury, by the way?
03:45I think we weren't exactly sure. Was it knee or ankle?
03:48Yeah, we have to wait and see. It's part, probably, of the knee or ankle. We don't know.
03:54He could not really tell us exactly how it was, but he wasn't able to continue.
03:58James CBS?
03:59Hi, Mikel. One of the things that's really been apparent in the last few games is how he's able
04:08to now drop into midfield and create that box. Could you reflect on how he's grown into this
04:14role and made playing as a centre-forward fit Mikel Moreno?
04:18I said it earlier, I think, in the press conference. It's his curiosity as his will to learn and
04:26probably his will to help the team. He knew that we had a major problem from the beginning of the
04:32season when we lost Victor, Kai was out and Gaby Jesus was out. So, we needed a solution and he did
04:38it last year really, really well. I think this season probably is taking it to another step because
04:42he's able to do even more things. So, yeah, I think the team is really grateful and he's enjoying.
04:48When you spoke about Ben White a couple of weeks ago, you mentioned he had to kind of prove himself
04:55on the opportunity. I'm guessing you feel he did tonight, but just how much have you
05:01missed him in this kind of spell that he has here playing?
05:04Personally, I think I'm very, very happy for him as a human being. I think the rest of the team is
05:10the same because he's a player that played always for us. And suddenly, because of the right reasons,
05:16he wasn't playing that much because Jürgen was excellent and he was out for a while and then
05:20he needed to earn his place. But his attitude has been so positive, so good. And then when you are
05:26ready and you're given the opportunity, you take it like he did today. So, I'm very happy that we have
05:31him back in the best version of himself as well and we're going to need him because he's a tremendous player.
05:37In terms of the 90 minutes today, how did you kind of assess it? Because it felt at 1-0 when,
05:43I don't know, I don't know, it seems there were times where Leicester would have won that second
05:49goal and they maybe wanted to keep the one-goal lead when the games get open and it seemed a bit
05:54tense. How did you feel? Yeah, I think we had three big chances to put the second one. We didn't do it
05:59and then when we were going for the second one, the game became a little bit open. We started to be a bit
06:03late in certain moments in the high press, they break it and the pitch stretched and then we needed to be a bit
06:09more compact but I think we went through that period really well when we started to take the ball and
06:16do what we had to do with the ball to bring the momentum down, bring the composure and the ball
06:22to the areas that we wanted to attract them and to use the open spaces that they left and score the second
06:28goal. And Sant'Alima?
06:30With Ben White, do you think there's signs there that he's potentially back to his best age?
06:36He seems to be just getting back to the thing where it's tonight with the overlaps especially,
06:41but with Maduaka, he seemed like he had an overlap to Saka a few seasons ago. Did you see it?
06:45No, the first thing is a defender defend and defend with that purpose and with that determination and
06:50efficiency and he's done that today and then if he can add the value that he can add with the ball through his
06:57passing through his movement and through the deliveries that he can put with the quality
07:01that he has, so I think he's done both very well.
07:04And on Ryan's sake, what do you make of that when he tips them to the crossbow?
07:08I'm sorry to him because they are so good at that as well and yeah, it's a big moment again.
07:17Just on Marino again, his story is a little bit of an example for the players because the signings
07:23you made in the summer maybe from the outside made it look like he was going to struggle to get in the
07:26team and yet here he is in December, arguably the most important player.
07:30Yes, I think that's a lesson and I took it a lesson because the whole summer I was thinking
07:36if we bring a nine, what was going to happen with Gabi, Jesus and Kaya and I had a lot of nightmares
07:41just thinking because I like them so much as well. Okay, what are we going to do? How are we going to
07:44handle? And so far we haven't had the problem because they've been injured, you know, so leave the
07:49present, leave the moment and deal with the situation when it comes. That's it.
07:53And finally, Jack, you mentioned the schedule you've got at the moment. Do you feel that's
07:58what's contributed to Declan's injury tonight and a number of the ones you've had?
08:02Probably it's not one thing but we can help the players and everybody in the league and everybody
08:09to do what they have to do, give it another day and especially the teams that are playing so much
08:14in Europe. To everybody in general, I think we can do that because we're going to benefit to that. We
08:19never had such a schedule at every level, not only in the Premier League but every competition
08:23internationally as well. So we need to try to do that, please.
08:27I'm sure you've made that argument for a few years. Do you ever feel like you're...
08:31It's not an argument. I think it's common sense. I think it's not at some point this becomes
08:37too much, you know, and the players are not machines. But we have to try to do that when we can.
08:42Okay, everyone. Thank you.
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