00:01Good afternoon, everyone.
00:25Okay, good afternoon. Thank you for joining us.
00:27We will take the usual format today, beginning with a broadcast section
00:31and Uma and Sky Sports News.
00:34Have a go, Uma.
00:35Hi, Liam. How are you?
00:35Hey, good.
00:36I'd like to speak to you. I just want to start by asking about Enzo Fernandez.
00:39I know you were hoping to return this week.
00:41How has he been in training this week and can we expect to see him start in 11?
00:45Yeah, I don't ever tell you to start in 11.
00:48Crazy to say what the start in 11 will be two days before a very big game.
00:53Enzo's been training with the group.
00:55He's been training very, very well and it's his business as usual
00:57in terms of the selection for the game.
01:00In terms of fitness elsewhere, are you expecting any other returns?
01:03And also, I want to ask specifically about Levi,
01:05because I know we've seen videos of him in training.
01:08Are you expecting him to be involved in a sport before the end of the season?
01:12I'm hoping so.
01:13Obviously, Levi is an outstanding player and a leader in the dressing room.
01:18I think Levi will play some minutes for the under-21s tomorrow,
01:22which is fantastic for him.
01:23When you have a long-term injury, such as the extent of Levi's injury,
01:27you need a long rehab period.
01:28And I want to make sure that he's 100% right in terms of his match fitness
01:32before we consider him for selection for our first team.
01:36And how would you like to increase Trevor Howley a little bit tomorrow?
01:38Yeah, Trevor trained today.
01:41Not quite fully modified and we'll make a decision on him,
01:44but he's very, very close.
01:45Reece is a little bit further away.
01:48I know it's been a tough run for you lately.
01:50At the moment, you sit four points off those chances
01:53that he's got heading into this game.
01:55Are you feeling the pressure of this one as a muscle engage
01:57in terms of that mission to finish in the top five?
01:59Yeah, I think as the season goes on, the less games you have left,
02:03the more important the games become.
02:04We have to take advantage of this moment.
02:07We're running out of time.
02:08We need to show that initiative on Saturday evening
02:11and we need to play on the front foot
02:13and we need to make up those points,
02:14which is still definitely possible.
02:16And given the recent difficulties,
02:19I suppose perhaps it's not surprising that some of the fans
02:21are maybe feeling a little disheartened.
02:22This weekend there is a plan to protest ahead of this game
02:25by a fan group.
02:26Can you understand that feeling of disappointment at the moment?
02:30Yeah, in terms of the process, you're talking about the last few results.
02:34So you're talking about, yeah, to be honest,
02:37every supporter has their viewpoint.
02:39Every supporter wants their club to do well
02:41and to win games of football.
02:43Our job, my job with the team is to produce those results in the long term.
02:48So I respect any fans' points of view, but that's not my focus.
02:52My focus is on winning the game on Saturday.
02:54And the game, of course, is up against Mark Carrick and Manchester United 2.
02:57I know you've placed on the four against the course in the Championship.
03:01How well do you know him and what have you made of his progress so far in the Premier League?
03:05No, Michael, firstly, as a player, I greatly admired him.
03:11Secondly, as a coach, I know he's an amazing coach
03:13because he did a fantastic job with Middlesbrough for a period of time
03:16where they were pushing consistently at the top end of the Championship.
03:20I'm not surprised in terms of the points return that he's got there
03:24because he's a very, very good coach and a good guy.
03:26But we know we have to play at our best to win a difficult game on Saturday.
03:31Thanks, Huma.
03:32Roger?
03:33Hi, Liam.
03:33Hi. Can I ask you about, you talked about needing to make up the points,
03:38make up the ground.
03:38How important is something like discipline going to be?
03:42A couple more yellow cards the other day against Manchester City for dissent.
03:45It seems to have been an issue this season.
03:47Are you concerned that maybe the players aren't as focused
03:50on that frustration that's coming from their part?
03:53No, I've had this question many times.
03:56We need to be perfect in every area or near perfect in every area
04:00to get to where we want to be, but it's possible.
04:01What we have to do, yes, our discipline needs to be good,
04:04but also moments of the game when we're on top,
04:06we have to take advantage.
04:07Moments when we're under pressure, we need to not give up goals.
04:11So it's an all-round thing that we need to improve,
04:13and I need to help that process.
04:14So it's not just discipline.
04:16It's one of the many areas that we all need to improve in.
04:19You mentioned they're not giving up goals.
04:21You have problems in front of goals.
04:22Last three games in the Premier League without one.
04:24Against Manchester United, they're going to be missing Maguire.
04:27Martinez are going to have an inexperienced central defensive partnership,
04:31assuming that it's a heaven and Euro star.
04:34Is that something you can really exploit, do you think, in this fixture?
04:37No, I don't talk about individuals of other teams.
04:41We have a way that we play.
04:42In terms of chance creation, we're actually still very good.
04:46We're still very good in terms of chance creation.
04:48We just haven't taken those moments,
04:50like I've just said in the previous question.
04:52We need to be more clinical.
04:53We need to be more ruthless in both boxes
04:55and not give up chances from our own doing.
04:58And if you do that, you give yourself a chance to win a game of football.
05:00You say you don't want to talk about individuals,
05:02but would you accept that United, perhaps,
05:05that's an area where they might be weaker?
05:07No, that's not for me to speak.
05:09I don't speak about other teams.
05:10I have respect for other teams,
05:11and we all work in exactly the same way
05:13and the same process that we do for every team we play.
05:16You're competing with United, obviously,
05:18for their post-Champions League spots.
05:20A lot of people suggested because United went out of the Cups early
05:23and they weren't in Europe,
05:24that it would be to their advantage to have fewer games.
05:27Your players have obviously been playing all the way
05:29since last summer.
05:30Do you see it that way?
05:31It's become such a crucial stage of the season now
05:33in terms of fatigue and so on,
05:34that they might have the other hand in.
05:35No, I think you try to build your squad the best you can
05:39to challenge for the competitions you're in.
05:41Obviously, having clear weeks to work with your team as a coach,
05:45it makes things easier to get your point of view across,
05:48to get your process across, to get your rest period.
05:51But now I don't want to talk about any excuses
05:53or anything that could be seen as the upper hand.
05:55We need to win this game
05:57and we need to play on the front foot with energy.
05:59And if we do that,
06:00we'll give ourselves a really good chance to win the game.
06:02Thanks, Roger.
06:03John?
06:03Hi Liam.
06:04How are you coping with this situation at the moment?
06:07This must be, I'm sure,
06:08the toughest run you've been through, isn't it,
06:10as a manager?
06:12Yeah, I think obviously we're not in a good place
06:14in terms of the results.
06:16It's a brilliant challenge in terms of myself,
06:18in terms of my energy,
06:20what I give the team
06:21and more about what we do together.
06:23We've had a lot of really strong conversations as a group.
06:26We've had some very, very good training sessions.
06:28And I think in this moment,
06:29you find out about yourself,
06:31you find out about your group
06:32and you actually just have to stay focused on the process,
06:35which is the here, the day in, day out.
06:37How difficult is it to keep the group together
06:39and keep the group united during a run like this?
06:43And the noise that surrounds it as well?
06:45The noise is not anything that you can control.
06:49What you can control are your group
06:52in terms of our spirit,
06:54which I don't think has ever been in question.
06:56I don't think there's been a lack of effort,
06:58especially the game against Manchester City.
07:01We're playing against probably the most informed team
07:03definitely in this country right now.
07:05And for 50 minutes, 55 minutes,
07:07we're well in the game,
07:08if not the better team.
07:09Then a moment happens,
07:10then you lose confidence.
07:11So the team are together.
07:12We're united.
07:13We know we all want to be successful together.
07:16That's not a question for the moment.
07:18Did the situation with Enzo Fernandes
07:20affect the group at all?
07:21Did it divide certain pockets of the group?
07:24Not that I'm aware, no.
07:26No, so there's no...
07:28As far as you're concerned,
07:29there's no issue with the...
07:30No, Enzo's come back to the group this week.
07:32The group's been fantastic
07:33in terms of his training.
07:34Enzo has as well
07:36and his application to training
07:37and our group's application to training.
07:39So, no.
07:39I suppose the big question is,
07:41how do you turn this round?
07:43Was it two league wins from eight?
07:44As we mentioned,
07:45there's a protest on Saturday.
07:47It's a difficult situation.
07:48How do you go about
07:49with these last six games,
07:51seven games,
07:52trying to turn this round?
07:53You focus on what you can control,
07:55which is our performance,
07:56which is analysing ourselves,
07:58analysing the opposition
07:59and making sure your process is right,
08:01making sure the attitude
08:02and the energy
08:03and the application to the game is right.
08:05And what hasn't changed
08:06is we have got some very, very good players
08:08who can make the difference.
08:10And I expect a good performance on Saturday.
08:12Thanks, John.
08:13Simon?
08:14Hey, in terms of Levi,
08:16is it behind closed doors
08:17or friendly?
08:18Is that something you can set up?
08:20No, it's not been set up
08:21especially for him,
08:22but it's something that we think
08:23is right for him in this moment,
08:24has come about in this moment for him.
08:26And in terms of,
08:28what do you want to see
08:29from the Chelsea side now?
08:31What are they not doing now
08:32that perhaps they're doing
08:33when you first took over
08:34and went on that great match?
08:36When I look at the run we're on now,
08:41in a very short space of time,
08:42I think we have four games
08:43in eight days or nine days in that period.
08:46It was a lot for the group
08:47in terms of the standard of the games,
08:51the intensity of the games.
08:52And if I look at each game,
08:54I think it's just come down
08:56to a loss of concentration
08:58or focus in a moment
08:59that then has snowballed
09:00into the rest of the performances.
09:02So mistake against Newcastle
09:05or the mistake against Paris Saint-Germain
09:07and then it snowballs
09:08into a lack of confidence.
09:09What I want to see the team do
09:10is go and push for the first goal
09:11and not give the first goal up
09:13and give themselves the confidence
09:15to go on and win the game.
09:16And you could see
09:17against Manchester City,
09:18Kukurea is probably an inch away
09:20from scoring the first goal
09:21and then that changes the momentum
09:23and the flow of the team.
09:24We're not as far away
09:25as probably what it feels like,
09:26but what we have to do
09:27is manage the margins
09:29of the game a little bit better.
09:30Thanks, Simon.
09:31And we'll finish with Rob.
09:33Do you get the sense
09:34that players still believe
09:35they can qualify for Champions
09:37and they'll be aware
09:39of what a lot of the movies
09:40have sort of just going on?
09:42Does it feel like
09:43it's affecting them?
09:44Of course they still believe.
09:46Of course we still believe.
09:48Yeah, I don't know
09:49why you would ask that question.
09:51I don't understand
09:52why you would.
09:53Well, you've got a lot
09:54of young players in the team
09:55who are, you know,
09:56the mentality of the team
09:58has been questioned at times
10:00and it has been a difficult run
10:02and you've seen that gap
10:03to the top five get bigger and bigger.
10:05I just wondered whether
10:06it was something that
10:08you're seeing, you know,
10:10get through to the players.
10:12No, I haven't.
10:12I haven't seen that.
10:14OK, thanks Rob.
10:15Camera's off, please.
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