"Every single one of us wants to put in a better performance"
Tedesco and Gulácsi talk to the media ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk at the Red Bull Arena| Olmo out after partially rupturing his left interior ligament
The UEFA Champions League is nearly upon us!
Head coach Domenico Tedesco and captain Péter Gulácsi spoke to the media ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League group stage (Red Bull Arena, 21:00 CEST). Here are the most important bits:
Domenico Tedesco on...
…Saturday’s defeat to Frankfurt
“The Frankfurt game was a one-off. We lacked the basics and the players also saw it that way. It is important that we are all on the same page in that regard. Of course we are all unhappy after such a performance because we have much higher expectations of ourselves.
The mentality and the willingness are fundamentally there. My comments about the players lacking the basics were made purely in relation to the Frankfurt game. Our performances before that were completely different and that’s why I’m still optimistic about the matches and the performances in the future.”
… Shakhtar Donetsk
“They are the dominant team in Ukraine. You can see that from their performances in the league and they have already picked up seven points from their first three games. Despite some big-name departures in the last few years, they are still a good team. They have super wide players, they are strong to a man and they are able to cause problems both on the counter and with their wingers. They are also a club with lots of Champions League experience.”
…newcomer Abdou Diallo and Dani Olmo’s injury:
“Abdou Diallo is a super player with lots of experience. He proved himself in both Mainz and in Dortmund and he deserved his place at Paris Saint-Germain because he is such a consistent performer. We are delighted that he is now with us. His overall game is very good and he is of course an option for Tuesday.
Dani Olmo was in great form and that’s why his injury is such a huge blow. We do, however, have the squad depth in order to deal with it.”
Péter Gulácsi on ...
…the performance against Frankfurt:
“Our performance against Eintracht wasn’t good enough across the board and the whole team were bitterly disappointed after the game because we demand much more from ourselves. Now it’s about showing a reaction on Tuesday. Every single one of us wants to put in a better performance against Shakhtar Donetsk at the Red Bull Arena and show a much different side to our game.”
…the upcoming match against Shakhtar Donetsk:
“It will certainly be a special game on Tuesday and we are delighted that we can welcome Shakhtar to the Red Bull Arena for this Champions League match.”
Squad update:
Dani Olmo suffered a partial rupture of his left interior ligament during the game against Frankfurt and will be out for four to six weeks.