On Florian Wirtz’s performance…
Good, as the team played a very good game. Recently I’ve been asked a lot about individuals when they’ve played maybe not a game of their usual standards and I’ve pointed out the team every single time. Now after a very positive performance from Florian, I can acknowledge that, but I also want to emphasise on the performance that was much better than some others.
On what he asked from Wirtz today…
Like I asked all of them, play to your own standards. We tried to create an extra midfielder and he was very important for us to find every time the extra midfielder. He was good when he made a dribble, he was really good in his one-touch balls, I even remember a moment when he played the ball diagonally in the 18-yard box to Cody Gakpo, which then didn’t lead to a shot so no xG value. We had many of those moments and he was part of many of those moments, I think. A good game. The performance staff were constantly telling me, ‘He needs to go out, he needs to go out’ because he’s been out for one-and-a-half, two weeks and he only trained once, so to a certain extent maybe it was a bit of risk to keep him in the team, but some situations ask for an exception and I think today was one of them.
On Milos Kerkez’s substitution and performance…
It was cramp. The only moment when [Jarrod] Bowen had a chance was when he [Kerkez] was out but that was nothing to do with the full-back that was in. That was the only chance they had and, as a result of that, the only chance Bowen had. A good performance, a good defensive performance from him. I think he was attacking-wise a threat a few times in the first half and another time when it didn’t lead to a shot on target, but the cut-back cross from him when we overloaded the box. These were all moments where if we are in a better moment of form these moments will lead to more goals.
Good, but it also maybe tells you something I have emphasised a lot of times, some players need to adapt to the Premier League – and I have emphasised a lot of times the fact some players need to adapt to three games a week. Maybe it is not a surprise that Milos has cramp in the end for two reasons: he is not completely used to that and, second of all, because he puts so much effort in every single time he plays.
On Mohamed Salah being named on the bench…
I got this question already a lot. It’s every time we play a game when I don’t play Florian Wirtz, when I don’t play Alexander Isak, when I don’t play Hugo Ekitike, when I don’t play Mo Salah. It’s about that, which is normal because they’re all outstanding players and Mo has had an unbelievable career here at this club – and will have a very good future at this club because he’s such a special player.
Four games in 10 days with only 14 to 15 outfield players available for us, then you have to decide once in a while to make a certain line-up and you try to pick the best line-up for every single game. Today, with the way they set up, with a full-back that is constantly very high and a winger that is constantly inside, I thought this could help the team. Like I said, he has been so important for this club and will be important for this club in the future.
