NEWS | 03/04/2021
"We have to enjoy the moment, the game and the results are important," said the coach.“We’re doing really well at the moment, as the results are important to stay in the race for both competitions – so are the performances. We’re defending well. We didn’t concede today and we defended really well. This is important for us. We began with three at the back: Mendy, Nacho and Militão; and Marcelo and Lucas as wing-backs, but then we changed when we had the ball. In terms of defending, everyone has a role, but every player can contribute something to the team in many positions”.
Asensio
“I'm delighted for Marco. It’s important for a player to score goals because that gives you confidence, energy and he needed to score. I see him as being in good shape, just like the rest of the team, it’s not just Marco. As for Tuesday and whether or not I’ll have any of the other players back, I hope that Fede [Valverde] and Eden [Hazard] are available. They didn't make today's game, but, as always, we’ll hold on and I hope that they’re able to feature”.
We know what’s at stake, we’re fighting in the two competitions and we’ve got to continue in this vein.
“Marco and everyone else has been working hard every day. He focuses on helping the team because he's a very good player and we all know that. We’ve struggled at times this season and we're now going to enjoy having everyone available. We’re feeling more confident, we know what's at stake, we’re fighting in both competitions and we've got to continue on in this vein. I could talk about all of the players, you’ve mentioned Asensio to me, but I could also talk to you about Marcelo, Militão, Isco and all of the other players who have had less game time. We've now got to enjoy what we did out there because it's not easy and then we'll have to turn our attentions to Tuesday’s Champions League game against Liverpool”.
Marcelo
“He did really well out there. He hasn't played all that much of late and he was terrific. We know that Marcelo is capable of playing in many positions all over the pitch, he can play on the inside, on the outside and further forward and he did well. We're all pleased with the performance that we put in because it was very disciplined and efficient, that also applies to what we did in possession”.
Vini Jr.
“He’s capable of bringing a lot to the team and he did just that today. He's often started games this season, like he did the other day in Vigo, and today he came off the bench, but we're aware that when he's got space to run into, his tremendous pace means that he really make all the difference. Indeed, the second goal was all about that, he drove into the space and played in a perfect cross to Karim”.