00:01Raise your hand if you have a question, we'll come to you. Who wants to kick off?
00:06Michael, it was the earliest goal in the Community Shield in 1968. What does that say about the alertness of
00:12your team to go in front so early?
00:14Well, I'm always extremely happy with the performance, with the results and winning the first trophy.
00:20We talked about the desire that we have to start the season and to show ourselves how much we wanted.
00:27I certainly saw a lot of positive things there against a top opponent.
00:35We often get obsessed with massive, mega-money signings, but Christos, all this comes in as an amazing start.
00:42What are your thoughts on this game?
00:44Well, what I said last week is that I think he's coming to the team really organically, he's fitting,
00:50he's a really intelligent boy and he has a massive quality which is when he's in the last 20-30
00:55metres,
00:55he's so composed to pick people in and around the box or to finish actions.
01:00He's shown that again two or three times and he was decisive.
01:07I think it's down to the preparation that we've done in pre-season, to the decisions that the boys have
01:21taken after the World Cup,
01:23to continue to get prepared, to come early because they wanted to be part of this and they really wanted
01:29to win the competition
01:30because it's something that we earned last year, the chance to play against City here.
01:37I'm very impressed in the manner that we played, especially in the manner that we competed.
01:43So, that's the standard for us and if we drive the standards at this level, I'm sure that we're going
01:50to be really, really competitive.
01:51But surely that has some effects and some change in our champions, surely?
01:56Probably, there is more belief, you know how to do it, you know what it takes to win it and
02:00the contribution of everybody.
02:03Because last season, that was the biggest asset of the team, that every single player contributed to make us champion.
02:09We know that that's going to be exactly the same.
02:12Alex, BBC?
02:12Hi.
02:13Just on Christoph Zorius again, he said he's so brutal that he didn't play the last 30 metres. Can you
02:18coach that? Can you get even better?
02:20Well, that's a natural quality. He has better players around him. You put him in more and more situations.
02:26So, if the ballroom is higher with the level of quality that he has, the numbers will be higher.
02:31He's so eager to learn, to improve, to practice and he's not a coincidence.
02:36He's a really consistent player in everything that he does and yeah, I'm really impressed with him.
02:42Hi.
02:43The feeling you've got now is this incredible depth and versatility to it.
02:48You said it was probably the best midfield in the world the other day. Do you share that feeling? Is
02:53it now?
02:55It's the best midfielder for us, that's for sure and that's what we have to make it.
03:00That everybody complements with their qualities to the player next to them and that we have this variability, that diversity
03:06with the qualities that we need in relation to the opponent and today again, you've seen it, we change it
03:13and we bring other qualities in different moments of the game and that's a really strong thing to have.
03:20I want to talk to you about desire. Talent is one thing, skills is one thing but there was a
03:29tackle from Bruno on Docu, there was a tackle from Gabrielle on Docu and there was Ben White denied Harland
03:39and threw himself in front of it.
03:40Is that more of an indicator goal? Does that hearten you more that the desire is in there to go
03:48again? Tell us about the desire.
03:50There are really good examples. The way the team track backs is just unbelievable especially when fitness wise you are
03:56not there so you have to get there in a different way.
04:00And when you put your soul and your heart into every action that's what happens. I talk about desire with
04:05the compulsion and the desire to have the ball that we have against a team that they are really good
04:09in the way they press.
04:10They are really good when they regain the ball especially inside in the way they do this transition and to
04:16have that courage and that compulsion is only if you decide to do that in the manner that we've done
04:20it today and I'm very pleased with that.
04:22And it's that, I think, just because you've achieved something, it's that willingness to go again.
04:28Because we want to go through it again, you know, the desire comes that I want to live that moment
04:32again and I want to live other moments even bigger than them.
04:35And we know what it's going to take, we know the difficulty of the task, that's why we've never done
04:40it in this football club to win it again.
04:43So we know that it's going to demand something special and we are ready for it.
04:49I want to ask you about Ricky Galafiori, obviously he scored the first goal in 25 seconds. Was that something
04:55you want from him, like attacking more and more?
05:01Well, Ricky can be a total player, I mean, we can ask him to occupy certain areas of the pitch
05:07and when he gets in and around the box he has this intuition, his timing to create goals, to score
05:13goals.
05:15But at the same time we ask him, you know, the defensive duties to the White House.
05:19And we ask him because he's capable of doing, he knows how to do it and we maintain him fit
05:24and available and with that physical condition.
05:27I mean, he's a top player.
05:29What do you think he needs to improve compared to last season?
05:31Again, more consistent in everything, in his habits, in his ability, in his robustness, in the decisive actions in the
05:41game.
05:41That's why we have to put the focus on him because he is more than capable of doing it.
05:45Okay, the last couple of times.
05:47Michael, just like Martin Odegaard, he missed quite a few games for you last season, struggled to get a bit
05:51of rhythm.
05:52How encouraging was it seeing him today kind of get back to that kind of level where he just controlled
05:56me?
05:57Well, he missed five or six months for different things and it was extremely difficult for him to get any
06:02momentum.
06:03So I'm sure this year if we can maintain him fit, available with the players around him, we're going to
06:09see a very different Martin.
06:11And I sense from the first day that he joined that he has something else on the belly that he
06:18wants to prove and show because the team needs it as well.
06:21And finally, James, I think.
06:23Hi, Michael, congratulations on the break.
06:25You had to leave some very good players out of the squad today.
06:28Gabriel Martinelli, Ranieri, Gabriel Jesus and more.
06:32Can I ask, are those technical decisions or are they associated with the players?
06:36No, just technical decisions.
06:38I've been trying to persuade the Premier League and the clubs, you know, to be able to extend the number
06:44of players that we can have,
06:46especially the outside players in the squads, because we play more and more games.
06:49And the load is unreal.
06:52And to not giving the chance to those players to be able here to participate because maybe demands the qualities
06:58of one of those players and don't have them available.
07:01It's just a shame.
07:02So, yeah, it's the most difficult part of the job.
07:05But there's nothing to do with that.
07:06It's just a fact that we can bring 18 outfield players.
07:10And we believe that for today's game, these were the options that we needed, especially with the physical condition of
07:16certain players.
07:17And in terms of the market, a number of attacking players yet to leave out today, but only one defender
07:21on the bench.
07:22Does that show maybe where the focus will be, the emphasis will be in what's left of the window?
07:26Well, we know that there are certain areas that through injuries we are weaker and we need to strengthen.
07:34We are trying to do that.
07:35We've been trying to do that for weeks.
07:37So, only the right opportunity and the club is available to do, we will do it.
07:42I just want to ask about Declan Rice, who came back today.
07:47He played 69 games last season for the club and country.
07:51I mean, can you do that again?
07:52Or are you going to have to kind of manage him slightly differently?
07:55No.
07:57Well, he's done it previously.
07:59You know, the last two or three seasons he's done something very similar to that.
08:03So, he's already done it, you know.
08:05Hopefully, he's not need to do it that consistently and focus more on the quality and the performance than the
08:12volume.
08:13But, probably he will say the opposite.
08:15He will say that he wants to play 70 this year if he can, because he wants to go for
08:19everything.
08:21Okay, everyone.
08:21Yeah.
08:25Nice to see you.
08:26You too.
08:26You okay?
08:27See you.
08:27Take care.
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