On Jeremy Sarmiento’s foot problem and other injuries…
We are sorry for Jeremy because now we endure a very tough period, a tough month with seven games. We will play every three days and it would be better to have a complete squad, but we will be ready.
Tariq Lamptey is available to play. Lallana is working very well, but I don’t know when he will be ready. We hope he can play before the end of the season because for us he is very important.
On the squad coming together after busy international break…
Saturday will be difficult for our players who played for their countries and had long journeys. But we have the possibility to change our future in this next two months and we want to arrive at our target. So, we will be ready.
On facing another rival for European football…
| Pos | Team | Pld | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Albion
|
38 | +19 | 62 |
|
2
|
AVL
|
2 | +2 | 6 |
|
3
|
FUL
|
2 | +2 | 6 |
Brentford are having a fantastic season, they are very good at set-pieces, a strong team and they have very good players. For us it will be a very difficult game, but for them as well.
[Brentford coach Thomas Frank] is doing a fantastic job. We are very different in terms of ideas and style of play, but I respect him a lot, not only for the results but because his style is clear. To have a very good result you need good players, and he has very good players.
On the hectic schedule in the next two months…
We are ready. The players, the club, the fans, are ready to fight, to compete and to achieve our dream. We always have pressure but not just for the result, only to give our best and to play in the best way and to show our qualities.
On the importance of the fans during the run-in…
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The relationship with the fans - not just for me, for me but the players and coaches - is the best thing in football. We are lucky to play and work in football, and maybe the fans wanted to work in football, but they haven’t had the possibility. We can do on the pitch their dreams and for us that is a fantastic thing.
On being disappointed if Albion didn't qualify for Europe…
Would I be disappointed? For sure, I think we have deserved to arrive in Europe until now. This is my first year in a new country with new players. I've had to improve a lot of things, my English, knowledge of the Premier League, the players, the coaches. We will see but we will fight to achieve our target, our dreams. The attitude of these players was and is fantastic. I feel they want to achieve our target, like me.
On adjusting to a data-driven model for recruiting new players…
I'm getting used to working with another way in the transfer market, and I'm appreciating this because I didn't know it before. I understand there is another way to find players. I don't know about Brentford, but we are very good at finding players like Mitoma, Mac Allister, Ayari. It's different from my previous knowledge. At [previous clubs] Sassuolo and Shakhtar it was totally different. I had one of my team who gave me a player's name and I studied the players, but without numbers, without data, only on video.