00:00Does it feel harsh when you want to be playing your class today?
00:09Six interviews, six times the same question.
00:13I think that's the answer.
00:15Yes, it feels very harsh.
00:17It feels unfair.
00:22But we have to accept that we are missing some bits.
00:27But today I think the performance in many parts was really good.
00:32Defensively it was on a very good or maybe on a top level.
00:35Giving them one shot on target and this one is deflected and then you lose.
00:39It feels even tougher.
00:43I think especially this season, I can't talk about what was before,
00:47but this season what we are missing is in every single game we have our moments,
00:51but then we don't take them.
00:53And also today, especially after half-time when creating many good situations
01:00and then of course you need to score and take the lead.
01:03And this is what we can't do at the moment.
01:06And that's why at the end, with one situation that always can happen,
01:12we are losing the game.
01:14So for me personally, it's a very frustrating result.
01:18But another, I would say, positive performance.
01:22Do you think it's a confidence issue?
01:24Chris Wood has obviously basket experience and scored so many goals.
01:27I mean there's that moment at the end where he goes on to the foot
01:30and it's almost like he's not as confident as he should be in that area.
01:38No, I don't think so.
01:40It can be, but it's, it's, because we can see, let's talk,
01:48I don't want to always talk about one situation.
01:50So let's say we have then Murillo's dribbling in the opposite box
01:58and having the finish and then just missing the top corner,
02:01the top angle, I don't know, by a few inches.
02:05Then we have at the end Liam Dillap with a great run
02:08and then also we could see Konza then with everything he has defending it
02:12and blocking the shot.
02:13We have eight corners and we have two great situations
02:17with direct free kicks and also we don't take it.
02:20So we have these situations and that's what we need to improve
02:26and what we will work on.
02:28But I think it's also important not always then talking about,
02:32here it's Chris Wood and last week it was then Liam's shot
02:35when he hits Walter Benitez on the goal line.
02:39So it's really, what I take from today's game is another frustrating result.
02:46But it can be very tough to play against.
02:50Not giving them any space, creating chances is very difficult
02:54and between every single game we create our moments where we can score.
02:58And then it's now like always in these situations,
03:01encouraging the players, supporting the players,
03:03that they don't lose the confidence.
03:07And then we will get the results.
03:09We all feel we deserve, but right now we didn't have to.
03:12Just finally for me, two positives.
03:14I thought obviously he bowled Liam for the goals,
03:16but he gave those two centre-ups a real tough afternoon.
03:20And obviously Dominguez making his first start.
03:23I thought he was very impressive today.
03:25Yes, thank you for this question.
03:28I also said, because of course we judge the strikers by the goals this core,
03:32but I think Liam Dillard had an incredible performance today,
03:36playing against Konza and Gabriel.
03:38And I said, potentially the best centre-back pair in the world at the moment.
03:43And he caused them really big problems.
03:45How he saved the balls, how he was running in behind.
03:50And really, for me, it was a top performance of Liam.
03:53And yes, Nico Dominguez the same.
03:57And I wanted today players with the best energy on the pitch.
04:04And Nico Dominguez always has energy.
04:06He's always running, working hard for the team.
04:07For me, it's the same.
04:08Xaver Schlager and James McAtee, who has a top performance today.
04:13Murillo as well.
04:14I could mention many players.
04:17Everybody stick to the plan.
04:18And we did it so well in defence.
04:21And that's why, yeah, it's really,
04:24I feel really sorry for the players today, to be honest.
04:30Oliver, is the home form and the lack of goals at home a particular concern?
04:34I take the point that obviously you've created chances in a lot of games, including today.
04:39But the lack of goals, I think it's now four this season or five,
04:43if you include the cup without a goal here.
04:45Is that particularly a concern?
04:48No, I don't have concerns if we score at home, don't score at home or away.
04:54I always, so I would really have concerns if we don't create situations where we could score.
04:59And again, we scored two goals, they were then disallowed by the VAR.
05:03So I don't know what is the reason right now, but it feels unfair.
05:09But I don't want to be that we are now complaining and feeling as victims,
05:13because the only ones who can change it are we.
05:16And I just told the players for me, this is a tough moment today.
05:23And in tough moments in life, there's just one way to go through it.
05:27You need your family, you need your friends and you need to stick together and stay positive.
05:32And if we do this, and I'm very convinced that we will do this,
05:36because I know the players, I know the character of the players,
05:38then we will get these goals, then we will get the results.
05:41But yeah, today it feels harsh.
05:46In the context of everything you've just said, Oliver, does it feel particularly cruel
05:50that you've lost the game to the one shot target that the opposition had in the game?
05:55Yeah, it feels completely weird.
05:58And even this one was deflected, because otherwise I think it's straight into the arms of Mad Cells.
06:04But again, we all know this, that these things can happen, especially against a team like Arsenal.
06:12That's why then when you have your moments, and we had them, it makes it easier to take the lead.
06:18And I remember when we took the lead straight after half-time at Aston Villa,
06:23all of a sudden we felt much more free and we played incredible 20 minutes.
06:28But also there, we didn't decide the game.
06:31And we had plenty of chances to decide it, and all of a sudden it was 1-1.
06:35So, because every team in the Premier League has the quality to come back into a game,
06:40to score a goal, and let's say this is what we just need,
06:44not just this is what we need to improve, then to take the moments.
06:48And of course when you play the champion, you don't have 7 or 8 or 9 or 10 moments like
06:54we had at Palace.
06:55You have 2 or 3 or 4, and if you don't take it, you have always the chance
07:00to lose the game, and that happened today.
07:04The club price they gave had issued an appeal to supporters not to sing a misogynistic chant.
07:10You may or may not be aware of this, but they did actually chant that chant in the first 2
07:14minutes,
07:14and I know you're the head coach and you don't have any responsibility for what people chant at the stand.
07:19What does it mean, chanting the stand?
07:21Yeah, a particular song that the supporters sang, but I don't think Oliver will have been aware of that song.
07:27So, thank you Paul.
07:29Sorry.
07:30Oliver, can I just ask you about the defensive side of things?
07:33I mean, you've already spoken about the side joke today.
07:36In the week we talked about cutting out some of those simple mistakes with the easy goals,
07:40the long balls and the set pieces.
07:42This is a much-performed Arsenal set piece operation.
07:46It felt like the team stood up pretty well to that today,
07:49and there's some very interesting footage knocking around of your players having their kits ripped off
07:55and then elbows all over the place.
07:57What did you make of that today?
08:01Top performance defensively.
08:03So, not just defending the set pieces and how few shots we gave them,
08:09and we knew exactly what they were going to do,
08:11and let's say in one situation, because we know if we close the middle,
08:15they go into the wide areas with their 1v1 players,
08:18and then we always doubled up all the time,
08:21and then when we conceded the goal, the cross, we cleared it,
08:23and then we were just not sharp enough on the second ball
08:26because we could have picked up the second ball, but we are a little bit slow,
08:30and then they defined Maduaki,
08:31and then we never know, does he go on the left or on the right,
08:34and again deflected, but we really defended this well.
08:36We have the half-space runs, we controlled them with the near centre-back all the time.
08:40I think that's five, six passes over the goal line because we did so well.
08:44But, yeah, the result stands, and that's frustrating.
08:52One of the things that always felt sort of a bit of signature of your Palace team,
08:56to me, was the quick vertical passing that turns transition very quickly,
09:01defense into attack.
09:03It felt, I mean, looking from positive, it felt like some of that was there today,
09:06and perhaps those patterns are starting to pay up.
09:08I think Dominguez, McIntyre, Schlager, Murillo punched one at the pitch.
09:12It felt like that was starting to come together, is that how you see it?
09:15I think today it was, for me, Liverpool-Villa and today,
09:22the player executed the plan we have in the best way.
09:27And when we analysed Arsenal, we could see often, or let's say sometimes,
09:33they play one-on-one with the last centre-back, and we knew then, and we said,
09:39OK, and then not passing into Liam's feet, so really passing left and right into the space,
09:45and this is where he created then the dangerous situations.
09:48And so, yes, it was on transition, it was really good, but again, no, it was OK,
09:58because if it's really good, we would have scored one or two goals.
10:04But, yeah, I don't want to talk too often about it, and it feels for me like excuses,
10:11but it's, on the other side, when you always ask the same questions,
10:15so, let's say, you see it in the same way, and it's for us now.
10:21As I mentioned, sticking together, keep going.
10:23I have no doubts in what we're doing, because it's just proven right so often,
10:31and I'm really confident that we will go there where we want to be.
10:36We are not there here today, but we will be there.
10:41How close was Morgan to playing today, and is he realistically going to miss any more game time?
10:49No, he was very close to playing today, and he said he's fine,
10:56but he felt it a little bit in a few situations, he felt his muscle,
11:00and then I decided not to play him.
11:03I didn't want to take any risk, and we can't allow to lose him,
11:08maybe because if he's a re-injury for four, five, six weeks,
11:12and that's why I decided not to play him,
11:15and I think all the players did very well today,
11:18and I expect him being back for the Ipswich game.
