Statements by Pellegrini
“We never thought we’d reach this stage having already qualified with ten points, but here we are playing to achieve first place in the group and maintain our high performance level.”
“We’ll look at the attitudes of the players after the match, but they are all very involved and focused on the game. We need to perform as well as we can, from a sporting and economic point of view.”
“A lot has changed since the first match. Playing against Zenit the first time was a big test for us, as we were facing a big team in our Champions League debut, so the pressure was really on. We performed brilliantly in that first match against the two-time Russian champions.”
“Now that we’ve made it through to the next round, we need to up our game somewhat. Most people thought that Zenit would be at our position at this point in the competition, so we need to show their fans that we deserve to be here.”
“It’s a combination of various factors; fatigue, injury and two bad matches, but we’re here taking part in the Champions League. We’ve lost our style of play in recent games, so we hope to return to winning ways tomorrow.”
“This is a wonderful city and the entire team loves it here. You need to open your mind to different cultures, as I think it makes us better people.”
“We never thought we’d reach this stage having already qualified with ten points, but here we are playing to achieve first place in the group and maintain our high performance level.”
“We’ll look at the attitudes of the players after the match, but they are all very involved and focused on the game. We need to perform as well as we can, from a sporting and economic point of view.”
“A lot has changed since the first match. Playing against Zenit the first time was a big test for us, as we were facing a big team in our Champions League debut, so the pressure was really on. We performed brilliantly in that first match against the two-time Russian champions.”
“Now that we’ve made it through to the next round, we need to up our game somewhat. Most people thought that Zenit would be at our position at this point in the competition, so we need to show their fans that we deserve to be here.”
“It’s a combination of various factors; fatigue, injury and two bad matches, but we’re here taking part in the Champions League. We’ve lost our style of play in recent games, so we hope to return to winning ways tomorrow.”
“This is a wonderful city and the entire team loves it here. You need to open your mind to different cultures, as I think it makes us better people.”