00:00It sounds like it's a recurrence of the hip injury that kept her out for about four months in the
00:04summer.
00:04How much of a concern is it that that injury has come back and how do you go about managing
00:09that?
00:10Is it something that's going to keep coming back? Do you need to look at potential surgery and things like
00:14that or just rest?
00:15Yeah, well the original was a shin. It's not the exact issue.
00:23It's a similar area but it's not the exact same thing again.
00:29And we're kind of still working through it a little bit of seeing how long the issue will be.
00:36We're hoping that will be soon obviously but at this moment it's still not quite clear.
00:40Is it something where you look to do rest and then if rest doesn't work you maybe look at kind
00:43of more long-term solutions and things like that?
00:47Yeah, there's different things to look at.
00:51He had recovered really well actually from the initial one and there was a lot of time and sometimes get
00:56thrown up.
00:56The body does certain things and we've got to react to that and try and get him back as quick
01:00as we can.
01:02Hi Michael. Just on JJ Gabriel, the information was that he was going to be on the bench for the
01:07Brighton game.
01:08Was that a collective decision to have him in the squad that night or was that a selection foisted onto
01:12you?
01:13No, I think that was after the City game which he hadn't been around for them days really so things
01:25can change.
01:25We always have plans for certain things and certain ideas for younger players whether they're involved in squads, whether they're
01:30not involved in squads.
01:31But nothing was concrete at that stage anyway.
01:33I know a few of us have written about it but from your part is there any shift, anything changed?
01:39No, no, nothing's changed at all.
01:42Mike?
01:43Hi Michael.
01:44Over the three weeks of the time away from club football, have you spoken to your bosses about this team
01:53despite the results?
01:55Are you feeling being on the right track?
01:58Yeah, there's always conversations going on of course.
02:01I think in all different directions, you know, we're striving to be better all the time.
02:07So there's things that we're actually doing pretty well and there's things that we need to get better at.
02:13And we're pretty clear with that.
02:14I think as a group, as a squad, the players certainly are.
02:18So, yeah, and obviously kind of layers above me as well in terms of conversations and where we're at.
02:27I think we're calm in some ways and we understand where we want to get to, how we want to
02:31get there and what it takes to get there
02:33and what we've done previous to prove we can get good results, you know.
02:39But that doesn't mean we're calm in terms of, we need to have a little bit of fire moving forward
02:44in terms of how we play,
02:46how we perform, what that means and getting the best out of each other.
02:49So we need to keep pushing for more.
02:53Michael, obviously the next two weeks you've got quite a cramped schedule with Premier League games and Champions League games.
03:00Are you having to change the way that you managed at all compared to maybe last season?
03:04Instead of just picking teams for a Saturday, having to think about, I don't know, a week later or maybe
03:0810 days later
03:09just to make sure you've got that balance and that freshness all the time.
03:13Yeah, there's obviously an adaption.
03:15Definitely that takes place, I think, just in terms of training time and planning for games.
03:20It is slightly different.
03:23It's not unusual though, really.
03:25It's just a slight adaption to what we've had for maybe, what was it, five months or so.
03:31But certainly that, yeah, a little bit of planning, what type of games, what suits certain players, what it looks
03:36like.
03:37There's definitely that that goes into it for sure, yeah.
03:40It's obviously something that you went through as a player, obviously when Sir Alex was having to do the same
03:43things to you.
03:44Do you kind of lean on the things that he used to do and the conversations he had with you
03:48as a player when you're talking to your squad now?
03:50Because obviously I imagine players want to play all the time, but they just can't because of the schedule.
03:55Yeah, that's plays, that's plays for you.
03:59That's not their job to worry about what games they're playing.
04:01But yeah, of course, I think that's experience, you know, experience in different ways that I've kind of lived through
04:07and seen it from different perspectives.
04:10That's definitely something that you kind of use.
04:13And experience just comes to you just instinctively at times of thinking what the right thing is to do
04:20and how to behave, how to adapt, and then certainly what previously, what's worked, I think, is important.
04:25Maybe what hasn't worked as well is just as important, and that's experience and using the best part of it.
04:31But without doubt, yes, me being here for a longer period of time and as a player,
04:35I still draw upon them, their moments to act and kind of feed information to the players in different ways,
04:43really going into different games and different schedules.
04:47Michael, it's been quite a long break through your weeks.
04:49Given the start you've had over these first five or six games,
04:53do you think it's come at a good or bad time having this break?
04:55And I appreciate you've not had the players with you all the time,
04:58but for you personally and your coaching team,
05:00have you had a chance to have a bit of a kind of like a reset over this past three
05:04weeks?
05:06Yeah, I'll be totally honest, it's not ideal.
05:08It's a long break.
05:08I think it's a long break, probably too long, really, from my perspective.
05:13And it feels like a long time.
05:16But then, of course, we've made the most of it.
05:18I think there's been, regardless of results,
05:21I think when you've had a period like this,
05:24and international breaks in general are normally a time
05:27where you can have a bit of a review and a bit of a plan of what's next.
05:32This one's been extra long.
05:33And it's certainly given us an opportunity to, like I said before,
05:38some of the good things that we're still doing, to not lose that.
05:41I mean, certainly think we need to clean up on other things
05:44to help us get better results, yeah.
05:48Will?
05:49Hi, Michael.
05:49In terms of this break, you've reviewed everything.
05:52Is it so long that there's a risk of overthinking a lot of what's happened before?
05:57You might think it's worse than it has been or better than it has been.
06:00Is that when you've so much time to discuss it, is that part of the problem?
06:03Yeah.
06:04Yeah, I wouldn't say it's a problem,
06:06but it's definitely something to be aware of,
06:10of getting the balanced view and understanding and the reality
06:13and what direction we want to head and what we want to do more of.
06:19What we want to hide a little bit and do less of
06:21is basically play to your strengths.
06:25We want to keep doing that as much as we possibly can,
06:27but surely there's times when you can overdo it both ways,
06:31try and over-fix things or try and over-coach or try and over-help
06:34and try and over-play or try and over-try sometimes
06:37and become that, doing things that maybe don't come natural to you.
06:42So there's definitely a case of overdoing things,
06:45but it's always about what's next and doing the right thing
06:50for what's going to help us move forward.
06:51Is that sort of exacerbated maybe as well by injuries
06:54where you sort of, you don't know, with Patrick's longer
06:59and Nazrawi, that you sort of, you think looking at the start
07:01of the international event, you'll have five players available
07:04that won't be when you get back.
07:05Yeah, I think we always have a plan of, like I said there,
07:09about the games coming up and maybe a cluster of games
07:13and what it looks like, but then adapting again is crucial.
07:17You know, injuries, unfortunately, are part of the game.
07:20You don't always know where they're going to come
07:21and what stage.
07:22Sometimes it's in the same position.
07:24Sometimes it's spread.
07:25Sometimes you have a few.
07:26Sometimes you have not a lot.
07:28You can't certainly plan for that,
07:30but adapting and having the right balance is important.
07:35Hi, Michael.
07:37Can I just ask a little bit about Carlos?
07:39You're saying he's been training a lot.
07:41How ready is he and also what do you see him
07:43bringing to this midfield that he can add
07:46from the first few weeks of the season
07:47where he's not been available?
07:48Yeah, he's certainly getting close to Carlos.
07:50It's been great to have him out on the grass
07:52and to see him more close really
07:55and played a little bit in a training game
07:59that we had last week
08:00so that was good for him to get some minutes
08:02and I think the other side of it a little bit,
08:04he has missed a lot
08:04and he's missed crucial time
08:06in terms of the end of pre-season.
08:09There's a little bit of patience there
08:11for him to get up to speed
08:12and that's up to us
08:14to kind of pick that right time for him as well
08:16but he offers us a lot.
08:19You know, I've said it before,
08:20the midfield that we've got,
08:21we're really happy with
08:22and the selections and the options that we have
08:24and he definitely adds to that.
08:27Thanks, everyone.
08:27All right, guys.
08:28Thanks a lot.
08:29Topped up, please.
