'We did our job in a conscientious way'

On the performance…
“We did the job in a serious way. In the first half they made the job very difficult for us because they marked us tightly. We kept good defensive tightness and we scored a goal. In the second half we scored brilliant goals. We could have had a few more but overall we did the job in a conscientious and serious way. Before going to Roma it is good that we didn’t concede and we scored.”

On going to Roma off the back of this victory…
“We are going into the game with belief and extreme desire to qualify. The positive is we didn’t concede and we go there knowing that, not only can we go there and defend, but we want to go forward and attack at every opportunity.”

On Eduardo’s goal of the season contender…
“It looked a little bit like a beach goal; with the outside of his left foot into the top corner. It is surprising that he sliced the ball as well. He is a surprising finisher and a very intelligent player.

“He has short back-lift and he makes quick decision on what to do. He makes decisions very quickly. When you look at the goalscorers they move in the box while everyone else is standing and watching – he has that. Those people always score goals.”

On the contribution of Alex Song…
“He did well. He is growing in stature. He has good balance, reads the game well and wins the ball then uses it well. He is a real holding player naturally. He is also a good central defender.”

On Emmanuel Eboue’s late strike…
“Usually when he gets in front of goal he loses his composure. I believe he needed that. Some people convince themselves that they cannot score but then when they do they realise it is not as difficult as they imagined.”

On the season’s positive turnaround…
“We have many targets in front of us it now depends on how well we do until the rest of the season. We know every game demands a big performance now because we cannot afford to slip up. It is exciting because this group is extremely determined and it has been a pleasure to work with them. They have not always been rewarded and I want them to. We now go into the time where it matters.

“Is it possible to win two trophies? Yes because we are in there. After that it is important to give everything we can to make it happen. Many big competitors are in there so let’s see how well it goes on Wednesday night and then see.

“We are going into the final sprint and for us it’s important to keep all our targets alive. Slowly we have players coming back and that can of course be decisive.”

[Sunday, March 08, 2009]

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