- 8 minutes ago
Rose and Hill preview Bournemouth's Europa league trip to Sparta prague
04/11/2026
04/11/2026
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00:02We're in Prague, another step on the Cherries European journey. Have you been to Prague before?
00:08Have you been here much before?
00:11No, I think I may have taken a trip out here once with England in the 20s.
00:17Apart from that, no. I've got friends and family out here today who are enjoying it for the first time
00:22as well.
00:24From what I can see, it's an incredible city.
00:28How much are you enjoying the Europa League at the moment?
00:30A perfect record so far and I imagine you'll be keen to keep that record tomorrow.
00:36Definitely. The most important thing, we've got to continue being the best version of us going into tomorrow.
00:44It's been an incredible journey. As a boy growing up, you imagine playing in these nights.
00:50It's a dream for every footballer to have an opportunity to play in Europe.
00:54It's an incredible journey so far, but we've just got to continue the hard work that's been going so far.
01:01On yourself, on your performances, you're certainly putting yourself in the England conversation at the moment.
01:06I know there's an international break coming up.
01:09In the summer, you tell me it's a dream to get in that squad.
01:13Do you feel like your performances recently have made that dream that little bit closer?
01:17I think if you focus on your own performance, your individual performance, it gives you the best opportunity to represent
01:27your country.
01:28For me, I think it's about focusing on every game. First and foremost, we've got an important game tomorrow, so
01:36it's about focusing on that.
01:38If the call ever does come, it's one of the biggest honours you can have as a professional footballer to
01:46represent your country.
01:46So it would be an incredible honour if it does come, but we've got to focus on tomorrow's game.
01:53Marco talked a bit about improving your in-possession game and I think you've spoken about that in the past.
02:01What I said out of possession. You have to tell the whole story, you can't just say the half of
02:14the story.
02:15So I said we can work on in-possession games, but out of possession, he's for me one of the
02:21best players in England.
02:22Of course, yes. It must be good to hear that you get the backing from your manager on that side
02:29of things,
02:29but also what have you been working on to improve your in-possession?
02:33Yeah, I think, well, thank you very much for the current words, Gaffer. I really appreciate it.
02:38But yeah, there's so many different things, I think obviously from last year as well.
02:43And this year, it's about maintaining the football as well as being on the front foot defending.
02:50And I think in this modern era, a lot of defenders, you've got to be good with the ball as
02:55well.
02:56So I think in training as well, the way the training sessions are adapted to us as players as well
03:02and how it's laid out.
03:03Also the clear information that we get given going into match days makes it a lot easier for us to
03:08make decisions on the ball.
03:10Hi, James. Going for a seventh consecutive clean sheet as a team tomorrow.
03:15I think I'm right in saying that equals a club record was done in 1995 and 1984.
03:22How much value would you put on that as an achievement and how important is the defensive foundation you've been
03:27built to this success you're having at the moment as a team?
03:30Yeah, I think it's been incredible. We've been really, really good defensively so far.
03:37We've also been clinical at the other side of the pitch as well.
03:41But no, it's been really good. I think we're defending really, really well as a full team as well on
03:47the back line.
03:47They've been incredible. And there's been a lot of people coming in and out of the team as well,
03:53because there's been so many games. And the lads, every single one of them have been ready for that moment.
03:58And to have them clean sheets, it builds massive confidence going into games.
04:03And yeah, we've got to continue that going into the next game.
04:07How hard has it been to keep six clean sheets across the Premier League, the Europa League and the League
04:12Cup?
04:13Yeah, obviously it's difficult. I think that just comes from the work ethic of this team.
04:18I think such a hard working team and the information that gets given from the gaffer and his coaching staff
04:25as well,
04:26from how we are structured on the pitch as well.
04:29But no, I think the hard work and the endeavour from the boys to one, to have that desire to
04:35keep clean sheets
04:36and want to make sure that the ball stays out of their net, it's massive.
04:41And it builds confidence in the team. It builds that momentum going forward.
04:45And as you can see so far, we're doing really, really well in both competitions and long may not continue.
04:51James, how do you reflect on your own journey to be sat there now as a Europa League player?
04:56Obviously arriving from Fleetwood at Bournemouth, but then you had to be very patient, go out on loan.
05:01For some players, it happens quickly. Your story is a different one.
05:04How do you reflect on what you've gone through in the work that you've put into to get here now
05:08as a Europa League player?
05:09Yeah, I think obviously it's been tough in moments, but I think in the moments that I've learned a lot,
05:17becoming the player that I am today. And it's going to continue.
05:21Every day I'm learning something different and I'm continuing to develop.
05:26But I've loved every moment since being at the football club.
05:29And it also shows the way that the club's growing as well.
05:32I think obviously when I first joined, we were in the Championship and then we've gone on to stay in
05:37the Premier League
05:38and push on now for the Europa League.
05:42And it's been amazing.
05:44And from where I've come from in terms of being in League One, playing in the Championship,
05:49playing in the Scottish League as well, it's been an incredible journey so far.
05:53And I've enjoyed every minute and just want to continue that progression.
05:58And then just last one for me is just building on what Marco said about your game and where he
06:02wants you to get to
06:03and maybe where you would like to get to and what you're working on at the moment.
06:07Maybe since Marco arrived, what sort of things have you been maybe changing behind the scenes
06:11and doing a bit differently?
06:14Every manager demands different things of their centre-backs.
06:16Yeah, definitely. I think we're required to do a lot more things in terms of shuffling a lot more
06:23and being more aggressive on the front foot.
06:27And I think playing out from the back as well, we want to be able to retain the ball, build
06:31up.
06:34And ultimately, I think as a team as well, I think we're way more compact.
06:40As from recent games as well, we're harder to break down.
06:44And yeah, it's growing every day.
06:46And I think as a team as well, we're becoming stronger.
06:49And we've got that feeling as well that we can go on to do good things in the league and
06:55in the cup.
06:55And yeah, we're really enjoying it so far.
06:57And we've just got to continue the hard work.
07:00Hi, Marco. Kick off with some team news.
07:03Obviously, Alex taught we got the news that he's had surgery in the last few days.
07:08Can you give an update on any potential timelines on his return?
07:13And also Juan Lu Sanchez, I know he's not in the Europa League squad,
07:16but he was potentially forced off in the development squad game.
07:19Can you give an update on how he's getting on?
07:22Yeah, Juan Lu first. He twisted in the game with the under-21s.
07:27And yeah, he has an ankle injury with the ligaments.
07:32And we still assess and then we're going to see what we do, how we do it and how long
07:36it needs.
07:38And Alex, yeah, had his surgery yesterday.
07:42Everything went well.
07:43And yeah, now we're going to see him not before the next year.
07:52So yeah, we're going to miss him several months.
07:57Any other team news at all going into tomorrow?
08:00Any injuries, anyone fresh that's going to be missing?
08:04No bad news. Just good news. Everyone is in a good spot.
08:08Brilliant. You spoke about this being the most challenging week so far of the season with two away games.
08:18You've rotated a bit in the Europa League before four or five changes.
08:22Do you think this might be one way to maybe make slightly more changes with an eye on the Ipswich
08:27game on Sunday as well?
08:29Yeah, we're going to travel tomorrow night and we're going to travel on Friday to Ipswich.
08:36Then we have another Premier League game, a very important game.
08:41And so far everyone who got the chance to play used the momentum.
08:47So I'm, as a coach, I'm in a quite good position.
08:51Every player is in a good position and of course we're going to use even tomorrow our squad.
08:58Fine for me. Sparta are a team that I think like to press as well and push on from the
09:05front.
09:06How are you looking to counter-rat that and what are you expecting from the game tomorrow?
09:12It's a good team, a good opposite. They like to have possession, they like to play football.
09:20But on the other side, as you see, they are very man-orientated in pressing.
09:24So we have to find a solution, but we're going to be focused on our things, on our tasks, on
09:33our game.
09:35And if we do it in the right way, then we have the chance to win the game.
09:41Six clean sheets. How do you put into words what your team have achieved?
09:46Not just winning six in a row, but not letting any goals in.
09:50And would seven be a record for yourself as well as a manager of a team?
09:54Have you ever kept that many clean sheets in a row before?
09:57I don't know. I'm sure not. But we are talking too much about the clean sheets.
10:03I'm happy that we won the games. That's the most important thing.
10:06And if we get a record like this, then we take it.
10:13But the most important thing is that we continue, that we work hard.
10:17And if we win a game 2-1, I'm happy as well.
10:23Since the AC Milan win, I think nationally, maybe outside of Bournemouth, back in England,
10:28there was a lot of talk about it being the power of the Premier League
10:31and the amount of money that the Premier League has.
10:33I wonder how you feel about that, given what your team is achieving,
10:36their first season in the Europa League.
10:39Is it a little bit unfair or maybe what Bournemouth have done so far?
10:43I mean, it's my first year in the Premier League and, of course,
10:46I was many years a coach in Germany.
10:49There are different rules, there is no ownership,
10:55so every country has different habits.
11:00But at the end, I faced so many teams, even in Germany,
11:05they had a bunch of money and no success.
11:08So it's not just about money.
11:13I mean, you can't compare it because most teams in Europe don't have this many games like Premier League teams.
11:22So it means in January, February, the Premier League teams have, I don't know,
11:28maybe eight, nine, ten games more than the other teams in Europe.
11:31And you are still in the competition.
11:34And I have heard about it in Germany as well, but that we have the most valuable team in the
11:44European League.
11:45But we missed since weeks and months Junior Kruppi.
11:49We missed since weeks and months Alex Scott.
11:53And I think these two players, they have a big value in our squad.
11:59And finally, the players developed in our club to be valued like this.
12:09We didn't bought them for I don't know how much money.
12:13They grew up in the club, they improved in the club and that's why they are now everywhere in Europe.
12:26Everyone wants to have the players.
12:30You mentioned Junior Kruppi, he's back fit and available to you again.
12:33I think you could have brought him back in for this game, but haven't, is that right?
12:37I wonder what the thinking between maybe giving him a little bit longer and keeping Ben Ganondoke involved.
12:42We communicated it very clearly when we decided to do it like we do it now.
12:48We said, okay, Junior is injured more than 60 days, then you have a rule in the European competition that
12:55you can change players.
12:57And we said if Junior is back, we're going to have some Premier League games, we have Cup games.
13:03So we made the decision to change him after the fourth game in the European competition.
13:11So the next game he's going to be in the squad again.
13:15And then after the group stage we can make new decisions because now Alex Todd is missing.
13:23Julio we can bring on the B-list in January, so we have two spots more now to bring players
13:31back.
13:32But Junior is for the next European game in the squad.
13:36Last one for me is your message to the Bournemouth fans again.
13:39Lots wanted to travel to Prague.
13:40Only a thousand have been able to get tickets.
13:42I think some are travelling without tickets.
13:45Germany is famous for its beer.
13:47Prague is famous for its beer.
13:49Your message and any advice to the Cherries fans out in Prague over the next couple of days?
13:55Prague is a really, really nice town.
13:57My hometown is I think two hours from here, Leipzig.
14:01I was born there, so I was many times here.
14:03It's a really beautiful town.
14:06You can see a lot of things, so cultural and of course maybe the nightlife as well.
14:13So, as you said, even here you have good breweries.
14:19So enjoy the time, be ready for the game tomorrow.
14:23I've heard we could sell more tickets, but we have close to 2,000 fans here tomorrow?
14:30We have 1,000 tomorrow, 2,000 in San Sebastian.
14:33Oh, okay.
14:351,000, but we could sell more tickets.
14:38But we are happy for everyone and with everyone and we want to present them a win.
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