Can Saka, Gabriel and Martinelli feature this weekend?
Yeah there is a chance. They haven’t trained. Tomorrow we have another session, so there is a chance they can be available.
Did the international break come at a bad time for momentum?
What belief does the win over City earlier this season give you?
Yeah we had some clashes, in the FA Cup as well and in the Community Shield. It’s all great experiences. They have raised the bar in this league and football in general to levels that haven’t been seen before. That’s the beauty of this sport because it makes you better and challenges you more. You have to keep up with that pace and that’s what we’re trying to do.
How often do you and Pep speak now and how has your relationship with him changed?
It had to change. My admiration and what I feel for him certainly hasn’t. In my opinion he’s the best coach in the world by a mile and he’s one of the nicest people that I’ve met in football.
Certainly he’s one of the ones that I’ve had the most fun and laughter working with. That’s gonna stay there forever. At the moment the rules are what they are and you’re going to have to adapt to it.
What belief does the win over City earlier this season give you?
Yeah we had some clashes, in the FA Cup as well and in the Community Shield. It’s all great experiences.
They have raised the bar in this league and football in general to levels that haven’t been seen before.
That’s the beauty of this sport because it makes you better and challenges you more. You have to keep up with that pace and that’s what we’re trying to do.
Does it feel different to last season?
Yeah it is different. The momentum is different. We had certain results and big injuries in that moment but those experiences are there to learn.
Sometimes you just have to clap the opponent and that day it was the case. But we have to learn from it and challenge ourselves to be better.
How often do you and Pep speak now and how has your relationship with him changed?
It had to change. My admiration and what I feel for him certainly hasn’t. In my opinion he’s the best coach in the world by a mile and he’s one of the nicest people that I’ve met in football.
Certainly he’s one of the ones that I’ve had the most fun and laughter working with. That’s gonna stay there forever. At the moment the rules are what they are and you’re going to have to adapt to it.
There must be certain topics you can’t speak about now?
For sure not. It’s what it is. That happens the same with players though. I had some teammates here and then you become a coach and that relationship has to be adapted.
You cannot feel different about the person, but professionally you have to act differently.
What did you make of the Ben White situation?
I think he has received a lot of love. You just have to see what his teammates and everyone in football thinks of him especially the ones who have been close to him.
I think people have respected his decision. Hopefully he’s prepared to represent his country in the best way possible one day. But that’s completely up to him.
Can you clarify what happened?
No, that’s a question for him and he’s the one to answer that.
What lessons did you take from defeat at City last season?Â
