00:00How are you? Good. Right, good morning. We will follow the usual format today and begin
00:22with Gael Davis and Sky Sports News, please, Gael.
00:26Good morning. Could we just have a little bit of overall team news to get us going,
00:32please?
00:33Yeah, Nico, as you already know, Nico will be out until international break, probably
00:41available after the international break. Margu also will be out for a while. Romeo Lavia
00:50is in the process to be back, to come back with us. Then Benoit Bayaschili, exactly the
00:59same. And Wes Fofana started to work with us two days ago. That means that he still
01:07needs two, three weeks at least to be 100% fit with us, but at least start to work with
01:13us.
01:14And in terms of Jackson, how come it is so much longer than you originally thought?
01:20Yeah, because we knew that was a muscle problem, but we didn't know how important it was because
01:28his feeling, his reaction was quite good. So we all thought that was not a big injury,
01:38but unfortunately he had the scan a few days ago and this is an important one and will
01:43be around six, eight weeks.
01:46And Mark Newman's injury, what's the problem, what's the clarification?
01:51Exactly the same, muscle problem. Mark, I think, is hamstring too.
01:59And so with both of them out, I guess we're looking at somebody like Christopher Nkunku
02:06to play a big role on you in the coming few weeks. How is he with that in terms of not
02:14playing very much and now understanding that he's got to play, I imagine, a very key role
02:19for you?
02:21Christo could be one of the solutions, but it's not the only solution. We're going to
02:26find, we're going to try to find a different solution. I said many times that I consider
02:32Christo a very important player since we started. The problem that they think that they are
02:38important just if they play. If they don't play, they don't think that they are important.
02:43But now also, you know, with the window transferred closed, so everyone is here and he can try
02:49to help us until the end.
02:51And what are some of your other solutions?
02:54No, yeah, we are working, because of Nick and Mark's situation, we are trying to find
03:00a different solution. That can be Christo, as he played the last game. Also, a different
03:06kind of player. For sure, when you don't have a proper nine, he can be a threat. Always
03:13you have to change not only the nine, probably also a little bit the way you want to play.
03:20Sorry, Rhys James was on my list as well. Is he OK?
03:24Yeah, Rhys is OK. He was against Brighton in the FA Cup. It was planned to give him
03:31rest. He had some more rest also in the last days, but he's available, yeah.
03:37And just finally for me, you also made a very good start to the season. You now find yourself
03:44out of both domestic cups, and the form maybe wasn't three wins in ten in your competition
03:50isn't where you want to be. How important now that you make sure that all that good
03:57work doesn't get undone in the next few weeks, that you bring your side together and go again
04:02and find a way to have something tangible for this season?
04:09No, I don't think what we have done can be cancelled or can be no good, because what
04:19we have done is there. I think, as you said, unfortunately in the domestic cup in both
04:28we are out, but our journey in the Premier League has been fantastic until today, in
04:34the conference has been fantastic until today, and we're going to try to finish in the best
04:40way we can. I said already many times, don't forget that in the last two years, Chelsea
04:48has never been top four, and this year we spent almost our season in top four. This
04:54shows you and everyone that we are in the right direction. Now we're going to try our
05:01best to finish and to bring this club where this club belongs to be in the Champions League.
05:06We're going to try our best, and then we'll see at the end. But our journey in the Premier
05:11League and conference has been fantastic until today.
05:15Soraya
05:16You just spoke about finding some solutions to the striker situation. We've seen some
05:22managers like Slob use a winger like Diaz as a line, and it has helped. Do you think
05:27some of your winners in this squad can do that, and if so, who?
05:31Yeah, it could be a solution. For sure, I don't know, Pedro or Noni, or even Tariq.
05:39They can try and they can be a solution for us. Jadon with the different kind of skills,
05:48but it's not just about the nine. When you don't have, as I said before, when you don't
05:53have a proper nine, probably you need to, yes, use a different kind of nine, but also
05:59you have to change a little bit the way you want to play. You cannot be direct, probably
06:04you need more linking because you don't have a fretting behind, you don't have a nine,
06:09but we're going to find a solution.
06:11Jurgensen started the league match against West Ham, Sanchez started the cup match. Of
06:16course training matters and we know you pick game to game, but with your goalkeeper you
06:21said you like to have a solid one and a number one, but at this moment in time are you going
06:25to be picking it game by game?
06:27No, no, no. I said that the Philippe solution was also to give Robert some time to recover
06:38mentally, physically, in general, but the idea is not game by game change the keeper.
06:45In this moment, the last Premier League game against West Ham that we won was Philippe.
06:51Unfortunately, the FA Cup game was Robert, but our keeper in this moment is Philippe.
06:59And Brighton's centre-backs were really aggressive against Nkunku, they almost swallowed him
07:04right off the pitch and it looked like they had no centre-backs at some point.
07:07But we know Brighton's highline can be exploited, especially tomorrow.
07:11Do you think you need to tweak anything massively to beat them away or do you expect a very
07:16similar battle that you just had against them in the FA Cup?
07:19No, I expect a similar one, also because it's not just against us, I think in all the games
07:25they try to be quite aggressive, central defender, midfielder, all of them.
07:29So I expect a very similar game.
07:37You just played Brighton, you're playing them again.
07:39How difficult is that or is it easier to play the same opposition twice in the space of a week?
07:45No, probably.
07:47Because it's fresh in your mind, the way the game, the way they attack, the way they defend
07:53can be easy.
07:55But at the end of the day it's a game, so it's never easy.
07:58But because you know what they do or what they try to do, probably it's better to face them immediately.
08:04What have you made of Fabian Herseler this season?
08:07Because when he came in, everything was just about his age, being a young coach,
08:11rather than actually what he could do coaching-wise.
08:14Do you think he's changed the narrative on him?
08:21I prefer not to say anything about their manager.
08:26You mentioned before that finishing top four for Chelsea is the goal this season.
08:30Because of how well Nottingham Forest are doing this season,
08:34that means that either Chelsea or Manchester City will miss out on the Champions League.
08:40I didn't say that our target is top four.
08:47The club never said to me that the target is top four.
08:51When I signed here and I joined this club, the target was in two years
08:55players playing in the Champions League, not in one year.
08:59So this is the reason why I said many times that we are ahead of our expectations.
09:04Nottingham Forest are doing fantastic, brilliant, very good.
09:09So congratulations to them. Then we'll see how we finish.
09:12If you don't finish in the top four, has the season domestically been a success or a failure?
09:21We'll see how we finish and then we'll see.
09:24Just one word.
09:26We'll see how we finish.
09:28It's not the good thing about me.
09:31I'm not saying to you something today is different than one month ago.
09:35Since day one, I've always said the same.
09:38I'm not looking at May or June.
09:39I'm looking at game by game how we can improve.
09:41Only that.
09:42So we'll see at the end of the season.
09:44John.
09:45How are you finding it at the moment?
09:47Is this the toughest period you've been through since you've been at the club?
09:51No.
09:52No, because I expect a time where we struggle a little bit in terms of results.
10:00But don't forget that the last Premier League game we won.
10:03It looks like we lost games in a row.
10:06But the last game we won.
10:08So it's not...
10:10Yeah, for sure we lost.
10:11More injuries as well?
10:12Yeah, the injury one is...
10:15The good thing about the injury one is that we are all in the same situation.
10:18You see different clubs.
10:19The last game, City was a gunshot, really shot.
10:23Arsenal, I don't know how important is the injury from the striker.
10:26But we are all on the same page.
10:28So it's just a matter now to see if we can find different solutions.
10:32Do you think Christophe Nkunku is the obvious solution?
10:35Is he a natural number 9?
10:37Or do you see him more as an out wide or a number 10 as his best position?
10:41No, I said since day one that Christophe is not a 9.
10:44Christophe is an attacking midfielder.
10:46But we use him as a 9 to find a solution with all of them.
10:49But we know very good that Christophe is not a proper 9.
10:54Wesley Kofana, that must be a bonus, isn't it?
10:57Is he making better progress than you thought he would be back sooner?
11:00Yes, he started with us a few days ago.
11:03As I said, that means that he will be with us very soon.
11:06At least probably he needs still 2-3 weeks.
11:09But the thing that we can see him with the players, with us in the squad,
11:16it's already a good feeling.
11:17And on Latvia, when do you think he will be back ready to play?
11:21Could be again, more or less like Nico.
11:24Probably after the international break.
11:26Is there a concern, would you say, about him?
11:29Obviously his injury record is not good and he does seem to break down quite regularly.
11:35Yes, but it's happening.
11:40It's football, they can get injury.
11:42Unfortunately, our injury, more or less,
11:46they are the same that in the previous year they had some problem.
11:49I said many times, when you have a big problem,
11:52the year after, you're going to struggle.
11:55Because it's normal.
11:56Romeo, in terms of number, has already improved compared to last year
12:00in terms of how many games he played.
12:02And hopefully he can finish well the last part of the season
12:05and be more fit next season.
12:08Simon?
12:10I'm just taking you back to what you said about the goalkeeper situation.
12:14So, is Filip now the Premier League goalkeeper for the foreseeable future
12:19and have you spoken to explain what the scenario is?
12:24No, I spoke with Robert a few days before West Ham
12:29when I took the decision to play with Filip.
12:32And I never spoke again with Robert.
12:35And with Filip, exactly the same.
12:38So, they know in this moment the situation.
12:41So, for the time being, you've not set a goal in your mind
12:45to the end of the season?
12:47No, this is the situation now.
12:48Then we see.
12:50We see the situation in this moment is like this.
12:53And we will finish this section with Rob.
12:56You've talked a lot this season about the distractions.
13:00All the work he does off the ball is the way he brings people in.
13:05Can the club do that work off the ball?
13:10Or are they two fundamentally different as strikers?
13:14They are. They are different.
13:16They are different on the ball and they are different off the ball.
13:19But, you know, sometimes we complain about players.
13:25But then when they don't play,
13:27we realise how important they are for the team.
13:30So, every press conference you ask me about Nico,
13:33every press conference I said that he's an important player,
13:35he's doing fantastic on the ball and off the ball.
13:38And then he didn't play against Brighton
13:40and everyone was thinking it's difficult to play without a nine,
13:44you know, Nego.
13:46But we know exactly how good is Nico on the ball and off the ball.
13:51Cristo is a completely different player on the ball and off the ball.
13:55And this is the reason why I said that probably we need to change something
13:59because we don't have a proper nine in this moment.
14:03So, you mean changing a lot, everything about the way he's...
14:07No, no, no, not everything.
14:09But probably you need to adjust something
14:11because the skills of the players are different.
14:17OK, thank you. Cameras off, please.
