Is this game a welcome distraction? Can it kickstart your season again?

Well this is what we want to use it for. As well this is a competition that we want to try to win. We had two difficult opponents before with Leicester and Liverpool. We managed to beat them both and now we're plying at home, we're one step closer to Wembley. It's a really nice game for us to play because it's the type of game we're looking for through the season.

It's approaching a year in charge for year. Is the job proving more difficult than you envisaged?

Well I could not think about a lot of challenges that we've been through this year for many different reasons. Some internally at the club, some externally with the pandemic, as well some results we've picked up in the last few months in Premier League. Probably I couldn't imagine all the nice moments we had when I stepped in and I knew the challenges we were facing, that we were going through a couple of years or more. Some really positive highlights, obviously now everything is looking a bit more negative because our form in the Premier League obviously.

Are you feeling pressure from within the club?

Within the club my feeling is just support, encouragement and total confidence we're going to get through this together. Externally I never read what is happening. I know more or less what is happening but I never read it in beautiful moments I don't read it, in difficult moments I don't read it. Obviously a club of this stature deserves the best and when it's not happening everyone is going to question what is happening. I'm the responsible one in terms of results so I have to accept that.

Are you worried about relegation?

When you are in this position and you have the points we have at the moment we have to look and be careful. Because we haven't been a lot of time in this position. I think last year when I came in we were in a very similar position and the same talk was around the place. It's normal because we need to s tart picking up points and then forget about it, start looking up the table much further. It's normal because when you look at the table you start getting conclusions pretty quickly.

What's the atmosphere like?

I don't say that I don't pay attention. I say that I don't read. I do pay attention and I have to be aware and I am aware about what is happening. That's part of my job. I don't read. If I start to read all the comments whether they are positive or negative, they would drive me mad. My suggestion to every player is exactly the same. All the time it happens with this social media. You cannot control who is writing, what their intentions are. It's a very dangerous thing to do. When you talk about the dressing room the atmosphere is good as it can be when we're all hurting because everybody is worried. Everybody wants more and we're working to get much more. In the dressing room when you're losing football matches it's difficult because they suffer, because they care and the confidence level starts to go through. The unity it's there. Is it possible in any club to have 100 per cent even if you win. When you look at the perspective how we are losing football matches and how we are where we are it's pretty incredible. Last year against Everton we won the game with 25 per cent chance of winning, supported by the stats. We won 3-2. Last weekend it was 67 per cent chance of winning any Premier League in history, and nine percent of losing - and you lose. you lose. 3 per cent against Burnley and you lose, 7 per cent against Spurs and you lose. There is something else apart from that that has to go our way and at the moment it doesn't. Saying that it doesn't care because you lose and the only thing that cares and you lose the match and that's why we're here.

How is Aubameyang?

Auba is feeling much better. He was more positive yesterday than the previous two days. He will have another scan the next few days and we will see how quickly we can get him back in the team. He knows how important he is for us and he feels the responsibility and he's trying his best to be fit as quickly as possible. For the rest I don't think we'll have any news today before training.

Why isn't the possession converting into chances?

I'm zero interested in ball possession. I'm interested in what we do with that ball and how efficient we are. Our conversion rate and our finishing quality is what's letting us down at the moment. Because with the rest it's what it should be to win many, many football matches. And it wasn't there before because we were winning matches before and our finishing quality was through the roof. In football both boxes make the difference. If you don't make it right in your own one and when you get into the opponents and you don't put the ball in the net that's what makes the result goes one way or another.

Are you worried about the psychological effect this is having on your younger players?

It's part of what they have to do and what they have to go through to become really important players for this football club. You have to see how people react in difficult moments and they have to experience it themselves, to get through these difficult moments and how they're going to handle that pressure. If they are able to do that, they have to handle good moments and how they handle that to continue performing at the level that is required here. So it's another experience for them and I must say that they have been much more mature, responsible and efficient than I was expecting. So in my opinion, they are doing really well.

How does the pressure compare to your role at Manchester City?

It's different because at the end of the day the decision making is completely down to you. You are in the spotlight when things are going well and when things are not going well. That's the biggest difference. There are a lot of similarities in certain areas but it's not like being the main man and the decision maker and that changes it all.

Would winning the Carabao Cup be enough for you this season?

It's not enough, isolating just one competition. We have to play every competition to try to win it. Last season, we managed to win two of those and we have a really nice opportunity because we've done really well in the competition this year and tomorrow's game is another step forward to be closer to winning another trophy and this is what we are going to try to do. But this doesn't mean that it's going to reflect on the rest or it's going to look better because at the moment - whatever happens in any other competition - in the Premier League we're nowhere near where we should be.

Would you ever consider walking away from the job?

I don't like to think about those steps because then I will be thinking in a negative way and I cannot do that. At the moment, I have to try to be as positive as I can, believe in what we're doing, try to modify things to make it work better, and stay strong. We're going through a lot of difficulties, the last thing we want to be thinking of is more problems coming up in the next few months. I'm not in that state of mind. I know the responsibility that I have and why I am here. Everybody knows that from a few months ago, this wasn't going to be resolved really quickly. I think that's the consciousness of everybody at the club.

Do you have to be patient with Martinelli?

We cannot put that pressure on his shoulders. It's not fair for him. He brings that enthusiasm that the fans can see because he's got something special, a special energy every time he steps on that field. But remember that Gabi, what he's done in the Premier League the time that he's been with us is very limited. Let him develop, like we are doing with many other young kids that we have here.

Is there pressure for him to deliver quickly?

Yes but it's the same with many other young players that are probably taking more responsibility than perhaps they should do in this moment. It's the squad that we have at the moment and what we have to manage. They have to try to do their best but I don't think it's fair to put all the pressure on them now as well.

Will you play for Europa League team tomorrow?

Let's see how the boys are today. Auba is not fit for tomorrow, that's for sure. He won't be playing tomorrow so we will see who is available because we have a few doubts as well in other positions. We want to get together a very competitive team because we know the level of City and we want to win the game tomorrow.

Are Reiss Nelson and Folarin Balogun available?

They're a possibility.

What were you like as a player when things weren't going your way?

I liked to look around me, whether it's the staff, coaches, players and I wanted to see fighters. Normally when that happens, you have two types of people: fighters and victims. You need fighters and you don't want any victims. Victims bring excuses, victims bring negativity and they start to blame anything that is happening around them or is not going their way. You need people who fight, people who contribute and people who are ready to give everything to the club in this moment.

Which of your assistant managers do you turn to?

I have a lot of different people with different backgrounds. Some of them with huge experience, more than 25 years in this league with different managers who have been through almost everything in football. I think it's very important to compliment my skills and the things that I haven't been through. It's very much needed. I believe that even though they've been here in this Premier League for 25 years, some of the things we've experienced in the last year they've never been through still. It's the most weird and uncommon year in history. But they are really useful and really important for me.

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What's the dynamic like between you and your coaches?

I am very hard on myself, believe me. We have a really open relationship and discussions to evaluate everything that we are doing constantly. What can we change? What can we alter? What's working? How can we maintain them? How can we give players a lift? How can we be more stable in the club? It's a lot of things being discussed all the time, not only with them. It's the same relationship I have with Edu, with the board and the members of staff here. This is not about a man making all the decisions, it's about how we can make this function better.