Good evening, Ruben. I understand you might not want to offer excuses, but do you think the lack of fluidity we saw tonight is related to missing some players?
“That’s understandable, but we didn’t use such excuses after the Newcastle match, and we won’t use them today either. That said, if you analyze the game, it’s clear why we struggled with fluidity and one-on-one situations. We anticipated a completely different match compared to Newcastle, where we had more space to operate. Today, we faced challenges in that area, and it was evident.”
I recognize it’s a different match from Newcastle, but could you elaborate on the tactical adjustments, particularly moving [Patrick Chinazaekpere] Dorgu back to the left and switching to a three-man defense?
“We were aware they would set up with a five-man defense and utilize width. Our objective today was to adapt accordingly, either building up with Dorgu open or closed, while Luke Shaw would do the opposite. We aimed to create the right scenarios considering the current situation.”
Ruben, you’ve mentioned several times that this team is still developing, but does tonight’s game highlight a need for more creativity in your squad? It seems some players aren’t able to provide what you require, indicating a need for greater depth.
“I wouldn’t say that. We’re in a situation where many key players are unavailable simultaneously. The dynamic changes significantly when you have Casemiro and [Manuel] Ugarte in the midfield as opposed to having Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, or Bruno [Fernandes]. What we need is to recover our players and wait for those returning from AFCON, which should improve our fluidity. Nonetheless, we won our last match, and we could have secured a win today as well with the squad we had. We encountered issues with fluidity, quality, and chance creation, and we conceded a goal from a set piece, which is critical, especially when we have height in our lineup. Paying attention to these details is essential for securing victories in challenging matches.”
