On the result...
"We lost the game because we deserved to lose
it. Middlesbrough were sharper in the fight. They were a team who
lacked confidence and we missed something at the start of the game
because we gave them too much room and that caused the penalty.
After that it was down to us."
On injuries and fixture congestion...
"We were a little bit jaded physically. It was
our fourth away trip on the trot. It was difficult for us to make a
game. We gave them the chances to get their counterattacking game
going. That is something they are very good on. They are very sharp
and mobile. It is a shame because we gave absolutely everything to
come back but we lacked creativity, sharpness in our passing and
therefore were not dangerous enough to come back into the
game."
On scheduling...
"It is difficult because we played at Sevilla,
Aston Villa, Newcastle and today. That is four on the bounce. It is
really tough. You can't do anything about it. We had to take
the Newcastle game in midweek. We had no choice."
On the penalty...
"I don't know. I have not seen it again but
the referee was in a good position. I will watch it again. At the
moment I do not have any opinion about it. It helped them today but
give credit them, they defended very well."
On reacting to the first goal...
"You could see it would be more difficult if we
were not 1-1 at half-time because then you have to come out more
and more. They were good at taking the space when they won the ball
back. You could see we had problems to win the one-on-ones. They
made intelligent fouls when we were made a little difference. That
gave them an advantage."
On Middlesbrough ...
"They have a good team. If you look at the
names on the team-sheet you cannot say that is a team who should go
down. They played a cup game today. When you look at how they
finished, if the game had gone on 10 minutes further then we
had a chance to have the come-back. The problem for Middlesbrough
is not the quality of their players. It is whether they are capable
of producing that performance when they go 1-0 down. Quality-wise
it is not a team that should go down."
On losing to a side who play passing football...
"No it is not more acceptable but you have to
take it. But it is more acceptable when your opponent deserves to
win."
On praising Gareth Southgate ahead of the game...
"I was not being polite. I think he is dealing
well with a situation in crisis. When you are a young manager it is
not easy. But it is when things go well. I have told you many times
I seem to have more confidence in the English managers than you do.
That is why I believe he is one of the managers who can make a big
career."
