00:00I think there's a feeling in the room, in the country, that this is your title to lose.
00:06I just want to ask you just a very open question.
00:09How does that make you feel? Does it encourage you? Is there a burden?
00:14I mean, I don't think nobody has probably more motivation, more hunger,
00:20more desire for us to go all the way and win it.
00:23But we know that the only way to do it is focusing and being very present in the moment
00:27and doing everything that we have to do today to be better than tomorrow.
00:31And that's it, that's the only thing that we can control.
00:33And the rest is just the things that they don't add any value to us
00:38and they can take the focus to the wrong place.
00:41Is there anything that you can share with us about how you do narrow that focus with the players?
00:47I'm talking every single day about what we have to do, what we are doing, what we can improve.
00:51So we are there and we know how tough it's going to be Sunday
00:55and if we start to prepare on Sunday it's too late.
00:57So we already started to prepare after Inter to review what we did so well,
01:01all the areas that weren't good enough and keep pushing individually and collectively,
01:05each of us to be in the best possible way on Sunday to win again.
01:10I think the other notion is that people are writing off Man City as well.
01:14I'm assuming you're not writing off Man City.
01:17You have to go back to the history of that club in the last ten years
01:20and what they are capable of doing.
01:22So we know what we have to be able to do to win this Premier League.
01:26Simon?
01:27You spoke briefly about what headaches you have now in terms of selection.
01:31You obviously had them last year but for very different reasons.
01:34How do they compare the headaches now to the ones you had this time last year?
01:38These ones, honestly, I wouldn't classify as headaches.
01:43I would classify them as opportunities that we have to make the right call and the right decision.
01:49And then obviously managing the players that probably are going to feel disappointed
01:54and either don't play in the games that they feel are the ones that they have to play.
01:59But so far I mean the energy and the way the boys have reacted to those decisions
02:06has been incredibly positive and we have to maintain that
02:09because that's a very important thing for the rest of the season.
02:12It feels very difficult for us to sort of sit and think what the team will be.
02:16You can play Jokic, you can play Haberich, you can play Zeus, you can play Cam Flory, you can play Miles.
02:20Do you feel like that's a big weapon for you?
02:22Kind of that unpredictability that opposition teams will be sat there thinking
02:26I don't know what team Mikel is going to be.
02:28Yes, I think that's always very positive but for the players as well
02:32because that means that they have to raise their standards in training
02:35to end the right to play the next day.
02:37And the next day you don't know how many minutes because
02:39the moment we want to change the game we're going to have options to do that.
02:42And that's something that obviously in the last few years we haven't had for different reasons.
02:46And it's something that once we have it, we have to make sure that we use it in the right way to be a better team.
02:52Do you like to keep the players guessing as well as everyone else then?
02:55Yes, sometimes I'm guessing because I'm not clear, let's be honest,
03:00to the morning of the match because it is tough because they are all training so well
03:04and they looked in grey form and so willing to play the game.
03:07But sometimes it's for different reasons.
03:10Hi, Miguel. How is Victor Jokic?
03:12Obviously over this summer you reported a number of strikes including Benjamin Sesko as one of the names.
03:17What was it about Jokic in particular that made you think he's the man that we need to get for this club?
03:23Well, at the end we have to make a decision and we believe that Victor was the best one in the scenario that we were
03:30and the qualities that we didn't have in that number nine as well
03:33because we have the situation with Gabby and Kai out for many, many months and we are very happy to have him.
03:39What were those qualities that you needed?
03:41Well, first of all, goals. Someone that can guarantee goals. We know that that word doesn't exist.
03:47But then someone very direct, very powerful, a proper nine that has the goal between the eyes
03:53and somebody that can stretch the pitch for us a bit more especially when we have to play against certain opposition.
03:59So he scored 54 goals last season and there was a lot of hype around him, a lot of clubs were interested in him
04:05and it was a bit cute for Arsenal to actually get him in the end. Compared to how you thought the move would have gone,
04:09what's your initial assessment right now as to how the move has gone?
04:13It's very early to assess. I mean, let's assess at the end of the season and sometimes even a very short example
04:20and understanding as well the league that we are competing and what is happening with the nines across the league as well
04:26in the manner that the game is changing. So there are a lot of factors there to better encounter
04:31to assess the player and then we're going to assess the player not only in one of the aspects of the game
04:36but in many aspects of the game.
04:38What do you remember about coming up against Michael Carrick on the pitch back in the day?
04:47Yeah, one of my favourite six. Very intelligent, he could never break sweat, you know,
04:54he was so much in control of the games, very good in making every decision, playing around you,
05:01progressive passes, always available, always fit, so yeah, a terrific player.
05:07And you beat up against him once as a manager, what do you remember about that one?
05:11Yeah, not great memories, so we have to change them.
05:14Okay.
05:15Okay.
05:16Okay.
05:17Okay.
05:18Okay.
05:19Okay.
Comments