(00:00:00):
Was that just what you and the team needed, a kind of really vibrant attacking display?
(00:00:04):
Yeah, I think so.
(00:00:08):
Sometimes you work hard on things and sometimes it just suddenly click.
(00:00:12):
As I said before, the team has been a little bit out of sync in some stages.
(00:00:19):
Today, a lot more players were on the same page at the same time.
(00:00:24):
Throughout the game, I think we looked at such a threat going forward.
(00:00:30):
Great chances, played with pace, tempo, penetration, unpredictable.
(00:00:35):
So I like that, everything we would like to be.
(00:00:39):
But also being aggressive in the pressure.
(00:00:43):
And I still have that clean sheet mentality,
(00:00:44):
we’re giving four shots away,
(00:00:47):
which is very good against a Bramford team that we know is very difficult to handle
(00:00:50):
when they play behind.
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their directness and their set pieces, so overall just a complete performance, I would say.
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Could that be the breakthrough performance for Xavi as well?
(00:01:02):
Yeah, definitely.
(00:01:03):
I think every player needs that extra good performance, so happy for him.
(00:01:10):
He’s been working very hard.
(00:01:14):
He’s a top pro,
(00:01:15):
he’s so determined,
(00:01:15):
he won it so badly in every aspect of his game,
(00:01:20):
and it’s just a little bit of adaptation,
(00:01:21):
also that the team a little bit out of sync,
(00:01:25):
and now it was more also,
(00:01:27):
for example,
(00:01:27):
let’s say Kudos after a great start,
(00:01:30):
a little dip because of the little injury,
(00:01:32):
a lot more better today,
(00:01:33):
Xavi’s in a good place,
(00:01:34):
Kohler’s in a better place,
(00:01:36):
Richie,
(00:01:36):
so everything just coming more and more together,
(00:01:38):
so now we need to build on it.
(00:01:40):
Just a quick note, Destiny today, what’s his injury?
(00:01:44):
Got a soft tissue injury, unfortunately, against Newcastle.
(00:01:49):
Would it keep him out long?
(00:01:51):
Not too long.
(00:01:52):
Not too long, yeah.
(00:01:53):
Thank you, George.
(00:01:53):
It’s quite interesting to see Thiago,
(00:01:56):
a player that you signed yourself,
(00:01:58):
but the Spurs defence stealth very,
(00:02:03):
very confidently with him,
(00:02:04):
so you must have found that kind of interesting thing to you,
(00:02:07):
because you obviously know him well having signed him for Brentford.
(00:02:10):
Yeah, I think it’s fair to say that I know
(00:02:12):
All the players in Brentford world except the two or three they signed this summer,
(00:02:17):
so it was in many ways very special to meet them,
(00:02:19):
it was nice to see familiar faces,
(00:02:21):
you always want to have more time before and after,
(00:02:25):
if it was not a draw,
(00:02:26):
there had to be a loser,
(00:02:27):
then everyone is competitive,
(00:02:29):
so it was very nice to see people,
(00:02:31):
to see them there.
(00:02:32):
George?
(00:02:37):
Hi Thomas,
(00:02:38):
did you feel Xavi was kind of building up to that and how kind of important can it
(00:02:42):
be for him to get that first goal because a new signing always wants that first
(00:02:46):
goal to kind of get that monkey off the baxk?
(00:02:47):
Exactly,
(00:02:48):
I think every player needs that extra bit of confidence and that comes from his
(00:02:53):
performance,
(00:02:54):
the team’s performance and I think that assist and the goal gave him that extra bit
(00:03:02):
of lightness in his step and his touches and everything.
(00:03:07):
for him was also an all-around very good performance.
(00:03:11):
And Archie Gray’s performance won’t make headlines,
(00:03:14):
but you put him in again and it felt like he was really good against Mikael
(00:03:17):
Damsgaard.
(00:03:18):
How pleased were you to put him in after last Saturday’s difficult performance and
(00:03:22):
to see him flourish?
(00:03:25):
I think he did well, I must say.
(00:03:27):
There was a few others that shined, maybe more.
(00:03:30):
For example,
(00:03:31):
when Jett Spence was bombarding forward,
(00:03:33):
he was very disciplined at a young age to be there on that side,
(00:03:36):
taking care of that rest-defending position.
(00:03:38):
I think he handled all the tricky situations with the ball,
(00:03:41):
got out of it,
(00:03:41):
it was always a good support,
(00:03:43):
and we know he covered ground very well.
(00:03:47):
So I think it was, you said, a very solid performance.
(00:03:52):
Hello, Thomas.
(00:03:53):
There seemed a much better mood at half-time.
(00:03:54):
Obviously, you were 2-0 up, but it was quite notable.
(00:03:57):
That helps a little bit.
(00:03:57):
That helps.
(00:03:58):
But it was notable around where we were sitting.
(00:04:01):
It was notable certainly where we were sitting that the fans really responded to that.
(00:04:06):
Almost like there was, I don’t know if you sensed it, a conscious effort on their part to do it.
(00:04:12):
You know...
(00:04:16):
Spurs fans are great fans,
(00:04:17):
and sometimes there’s ups,
(00:04:19):
sometimes there’s downs in football and life,
(00:04:23):
but I like how the team responded,
(00:04:25):
I like how the whole stadium,
(00:04:28):
the fans,
(00:04:29):
I could say,
(00:04:29):
responded,
(00:04:30):
and I like,
(00:04:30):
I noticed,
(00:04:31):
maybe it was me,
(00:04:31):
but I noticed when Vicario’s name was Shahrop,
(00:04:34):
I think extra high,
(00:04:36):
a roar,
(00:04:37):
and I love that,
(00:04:38):
that makes me warm inside,
(00:04:39):
because that’s where you support your player.
(00:04:43):
Because they should,
(00:04:44):
you know,
(00:04:45):
no one,
(00:04:46):
like no one,
(00:04:47):
how can you say,
(00:04:49):
talking bad about our players,
(00:04:50):
the fans should feel like that.
(00:04:51):
No one.
(00:04:52):
They should protect them.
(00:04:53):
And I think today there was a fantastic energy between both the team and the fans.
(00:05:02):
Hey Thomas, congrats on the win.
(00:05:03):
Have you said anything to Xavi in the dressing room after the game?
(00:05:07):
Yeah, I said, what did I say?
(00:05:11):
I said, well done.
(00:05:14):
Really great response.
(00:05:17):
Good performance.
(00:05:19):
I have another question about Xavi for you.
(00:05:22):
But that second goal, I think it starts in his own half.
(00:05:26):
How helpful,
(00:05:26):
how good is it to have a player like that who can,
(00:05:28):
in tight games,
(00:05:29):
I’m not saying this was a tight game,
(00:05:30):
but in general,
(00:05:32):
just produce a moment like that out of nothing?
(00:05:34):
Well, that’s what we...
(00:05:36):
But I believe from the beginning that Xavi can produce that out of nothing.
(00:05:40):
And I would say, everything just needs a little bit of adaptation sometimes with everything.
(00:05:46):
Him, the team, everything.
(00:05:47):
And this was a very good step.
(00:05:48):
Now it’s the next thing to do it again and again and again.
(00:05:51):
But yeah, very happy for him.
(00:05:53):
Thomas,
(00:05:54):
it will always be nice to get a win,
(00:05:55):
but is there any greater sense of relief knowing the sort of noise there would have
(00:05:58):
been had you lost to your former club?
(00:06:02):
I didn’t, you know, very happy with the win.
(00:06:04):
I think that’s the most important thing.
(00:06:07):
We use enough time on thoughts that we can’t do anything about, so now I’m just very happy.
(00:06:12):
I think we built on a good Newcastle performance as well,
(00:06:16):
and today,
(00:06:17):
what I would say,
(00:06:18):
I was just extremely happy with the offensive performance,
(00:06:20):
just looked more right today.
(00:06:22):
You mentioned building on things.
(00:06:24):
Is that the message now, especially offensively, that this is sort of the standard?
(00:06:28):
We know you can do this now.
(00:06:30):
Yeah, that is the standard.
(00:06:32):
Sometimes there’s more tight games,
(00:06:33):
as we know,
(00:06:34):
but I like what I saw from the team,
(00:06:37):
and that’s what we need to build on and try to become even better.
(00:06:42):
Thomas,
(00:06:45):
did it help that you knew so much about the Brentford team,
(00:06:48):
set pieces,
(00:06:48):
that type of thing,
(00:06:49):
that you were able to set up to really dominate the game?
(00:06:57):
Yeah,
(00:06:58):
but,
(00:06:58):
you know,
(00:06:58):
I’ve been in this league for,
(00:07:01):
this is the fifth season,
(00:07:01):
so I know very well Pep Guardiola’s City team,
(00:07:04):
for example,
(00:07:04):
but of course he had some inside-out information of some of the players,
(00:07:09):
so I think it was like a normal preparation,
(00:07:13):
just with small extra information bits on some players.
(00:07:19):
And have you had a chat with Keith and Andres at all?
(00:07:23):
In general we had a few talks through the last four months,
(00:07:28):
but today I hope we have a few hours later.
(00:07:32):
A first league win since the opening day at home,
(00:07:39):
how important is that going forward to make this place a harder place for teams to
(00:07:43):
come now?
(00:07:45):
it’s hugely important hugely important that we won home but also the performance
(00:07:52):
and yeah we need to to keep building on it we just finish up down here
(00:07:58):
Just one down here, please.
(00:08:00):
Microphone down here.
(00:08:01):
Thank you.
(00:08:02):
Hi, Thomas.
(00:08:04):
You said you thought the attack looked more right.
(00:08:07):
Is it about connections, understanding?
(00:08:09):
What was it in particular that you were admiring of?
(00:08:12):
Yeah,
(00:08:13):
I think,
(00:08:14):
you know,
(00:08:14):
a few things worked very hard on the structure,
(00:08:16):
how we want the structure to be,
(00:08:18):
which position we wanted for,
(00:08:19):
let’s say,
(00:08:20):
Xavi and Mo and Ricci and Kolo and also the two sitters and how we pushed Jett a
(00:08:25):
little bit higher.
(00:08:26):
That, and then I think more of the players were more informed, sharper together.
(00:08:31):
All that, I think, helped today.
(00:08:34):
Did you know that was going to come?
(00:08:35):
Did you see that in training?
(00:08:37):
Yeah, to be fair, I thought we had a very good training yesterday.
(00:08:40):
I think it just looked, again, more right.
(00:08:41):
I think the team in general and paper looked right today.
(00:08:45):
Thank you, everyone.
(00:08:46):
Thank you.
(00:08:47):
Thank you, guys.
(00:08:48):
Thank you, guys.
