00:16Agree, agree. That's everything, that's every reason why the FA Cup is what it is. I thought
00:21Wrexham were magnificent, magnificent in their energy and how brave they were and their press
00:27in how they played and we had to be at a high, high level. We were pushed all the way
00:31by a very good team tonight.
00:33You've got the character you had to show as well. What patch did you learn about your players that you
00:36maybe didn't notice?
00:37To be honest, nothing new. We went 1-0 down early against Aston Villa. We were 2-0 down at
00:42half-time against West Ham.
00:44We have to find a way to not be in that position but what the players are showing, no matter
00:47who's on the pitch,
00:48there's a really good spirit and a belief and a determination to win games of football which we're going to
00:53need for the rest of the season.
00:57I feel he's in a good place. Ali's in a great place. His goals top, his energy levels for 120
01:02minutes were magnificent considering he played a full night on Wednesday. He's in a really good place
01:08and it's really, really good to see him get his form in a really important stage of the season.
01:13One final thing for me, what were your thoughts on the red card and the thoughts on the FA Cup
01:17as well?
01:18They're both correct decisions for me. I know it's frustrating. Any challenge that's dangerous, it's a dangerous challenge.
01:26If you're offside, you're offside. It doesn't matter how small the margins are. We needed elements of luck today
01:32because Wrexham were that good in terms of their performance.
01:34Simon, is one of the issues that you need to sort of sort out since the ability to control games
01:43football is even against 10 men?
01:4510 men, yeah. It's the same against Crystal Palace about six weeks ago when I first joined.
01:51We played really well with 3-0 up. We have control and we need to find a way to get
01:56us to game manage better.
01:59But in these Cup ties, when the emotions, you can feel the emotion of the game, they're very difficult games
02:04to play in.
02:04You know, we won't be the only team in the Premier League in this round who are going to find
02:08it difficult against lower level opposition.
02:11Yeah, we need to find a way. But also, what's that? I think 15 games, 10 wins now?
02:17It's not a bad place to be. So we just need to keep working. We need to recover.
02:20We've got a big game on Wednesday that we need to start preparing for now.
02:23What does it come down to? Is it sort of people not sort of playing as a team?
02:29I think we, I don't agree. I think we're playing as a team. I think we're playing against very good
02:33opposition at times.
02:34We were going for it. Wrexham threw caution to the wind. It's a Cup tie. You know, they had a
02:39big key for Moore.
02:40Josh Wind, that's a good player coming on. They put balls in our box from corners and from wide areas.
02:45And, you know, it's something that we need to improve, but it's something we're improving on something that's actually quite
02:50good at the moment.
02:51Nizal?
02:52Hi, Liam. Can you explain a bit about the rotation? Because I feel like there might be a bit of
02:55criticism from maybe the first half and the style.
02:58Yeah, that's the risk that you take. We are going into a period of games where, for example, Romeo Lavia
03:05can be really important to us. He has to play minutes. We have to get him to speed. Dario Osugo,
03:09we have to give him the time on the pitch.
03:11And it's not just about your first 11 or your first 12 players to get us to where we want
03:16to be. And the only way that our players and our squad are going to help us to achieve what
03:21I think is possible is for them to be sharp and ready, you know.
03:24So that's a risk that you take by rotating. But it's also the trust I have in the group to
03:29make sure we win games and get the squad in the best possible shape.
03:31Was it a bit of the ends justifies the means and also could ask about the 120 minutes as well?
03:36Is that any issue going into PSG in terms of timing or something?
03:39No, I don't think it will be because of the way that we are rotating. I don't think that will
03:44be an issue going into PSG. The most important thing is that we were through this round.
03:49And also what I would say is it's not guaranteed if you start your first 11 that these games become
03:54easier. These are tough games.
03:56And also the amount of games that my squad have had in the last 18 months is the biggest in
04:02the world. So at some point I have to trust the group.
04:04They repaid my trust with the result tonight and I'll keep making strong decisions based on where I think we
04:10can get to at the end of the season.
04:11Dom?
04:12Liam, I was going to ask you about Lavia and Asugo, actually two players that we haven't really seen much
04:16of in the last couple of weeks and months.
04:18What do you make of their respective performances tonight and how do you see them going forward?
04:22Very good. It's brilliant for Romeo to get his 60 minutes because we've done his rehab in a different way,
04:29where we've been more patient.
04:31We've built him up in a different way in terms of his rehabilitation and Dario the same.
04:36So for them to both get 60 minutes in today is brilliant because we're going to need everyone for the
04:41running.
04:41Good to see Asugo getting the assist, but maybe a feeling that maybe Lavia was a little bit behind the
04:46game at moments.
04:47Did you feel that or not really?
04:48I can't remember his last game for a player.
04:51Early November.
04:52Early November, so four months out. I don't know any player who's been out for four months.
04:57It's not going to be perfect, but some of the things that he's going to give us, his performance coming
05:02on at Arsenal was top.
05:04His performance at Aston Villa was very, very good.
05:06He's a top player, but you can't expect perfection for a player who's been out for four months.
05:10Jack?
05:12Simon asked about whether it's the team not getting in terms of not being able to control.
05:15Do you think it's more of a mental thing, maybe a complacency at times?
05:19I think you've got to take into account, again, when you make changes, there's a rhythm and a consistency in
05:26the rhythm that you need.
05:27That's definitely true. That's a risk as a manager that you take.
05:30But also, if you don't give the players the opportunity to play, you'll never build that continuity in the long
05:35term.
05:35I'm still learning about this group. I've been at the club for two months.
05:38It probably feels like longer for everyone because we've had so many games.
05:41I'm still learning.
05:42You know, I'm still learning about what our players are capable of, how they see the game.
05:46But like I've just said, we've put ourselves in a really strong position in every competition since I've joined.
05:52And I'm learning.
05:54I think it's 15 games and 10 wins, two draws and three defeats.
05:58It's not a bad place to be.
05:59What we now have to do is make sure that we capitalise on the position we're in in all of
06:04the competitions.
06:05In terms of the first half and the rotation, and like you said, trying to give people opportunities,
06:10do you feel maybe what you take from that first half is that you might not be able to rotate
06:14as heavily the further you go in?
06:16The quarter-round effect like that at the stage of the Champions League?
06:18Yeah, for sure.
06:19You're making decisions as you go.
06:21And I promised the group when I came in that I would make decisions on my time with them.
06:26You know, I've analysed everything before I've come.
06:28That's my job.
06:29But you learn about your players when you work with them, the detail that you give them, who understands it,
06:34who doesn't.
06:35But no, I've got some very, very good players.
06:38I've got a very, very good squad.
06:39And we just need to keep working in this way to get to where we want to be.
06:42We'll have to leave it there, guys.
06:44Thanks very much.
06:45Liam.
06:46Yeah, it was amazing.
06:48He's a top guy.
06:49He's imagined it.
Comments