Liberating victory

“We knew that a victory against any rival would liberate the players a lot, in fact, the goal has liberated many of them. I’m certain that this victory, particularly where and how it came about, makes us think that what was speculated, which I said yesterday in a press conference about banishing negative thinking and using negative words, is now a fact. For a little while now, the players have begun to recognise that they can do better things”.

Good in defence

“As a team we defended well, we had some inaccuracies, but the tension surrounding the game made it hard for us to remain calm, however the goal helped a lot. I think the second half was good on our part. We defended how we really need to defend in order to have aspirations for anything, which is why I liked it. Sporting stepped up their intensity and started to cause trouble, but my players defended well, and also had lengthy possession. In addition, we had another goal opportunity at the start of the second half with a shot from Fornals that went over the crossbar. We showed we can defend with and without the ball, and I think we were brilliant”.

Confidence

“I always try to convey to the guys the confidence I have in them and ensure there’s no negativity. We needed a win because, as much as I can preach in front of them, they also need to see the light, and a result like this one allows the players to feel a lot closer to who they really are. If you see inside the dressing room, you’ll see a sense of liberation, like they’ve passed an exam and hopefully don’t have to re-sit in September”.

Sporting, a great rival

“Sporting started off well and did many things right, but we had prepared for this match thoroughly. I think that holding a game against Sporting isn’t so easy, but we did it. We won because we played at a good level”.