'You get no surprise when you come here'

On why his side is out of the FA Cup...
"It was a game that was more physical than technical and physically they were stronger than us today. We had a fantastic attitude and at 1-1 we looked like we were on top in the last 20 minutes and it was important not to make a mistake. We got caught on the counter attack on the second goal and that was an important moment in the game. "

On making a triple substitution in the second half...
"I know that it would be tight but I had hope that after bringing the three players on we would win the game. On the other hand you say always if you play the experienced players you have a better chance and it was like that today. They were sharp, they were physical and they were always dangerous in the air. The pitch was very difficult because it was not very good and it took us too much time to bring the ball down and to play."

On if he regrets his team selection...
"No, I had not much choice I must say. Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen and Gael Clichy could not play and I think Sol Campbell had a good game overall. If you look at our schedule you cannot always play with the same XI that is for sure. If you rotate and you don't win it is your fault so I can only stand up and say that is the team I picked. We have 10 injuries and we are going into a period where we cannot rotate a lot in the big games."           

Sol Campbell's performance...
"He did for me very well. For a guy who has not played for five months he had a very good performance. Maybe in the last 20 minutes he was a bit fatigued but surprisingly fit for a guy who has not played for such a long time. He is motivated, works very hard in training and you could see that today."

On Stoke City...
"You get no surprise when you come here. They look stronger in the fight as the game went on. They didn't create a lot in the first half but in the second half they looked more dangerous."

On defensive injury problems...
"Sagna, Vermaelen and Clichy will all be back for Aston Villa and they could have missed it if they had played today."

On the next four Premier League games...
"It is important for us to focus on that because we in an interesting position and of course on Wednesday night we have a very important game at Villa."

[Sunday, January 24, 2010]

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