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Read what he had to say below.
What’s your opinion on Paulo Dybala’s performance?
“I think Dybala was outstanding, even when he came back to clear up a few situations in the second half. It wasn’t easy playing a man down. I think he put in a great performance, just like his teammates. I don’t recall him losing any balls. I think he’s actually regained his sharpness in breaking forward. It’s a shame about that situation in the first half when he could’ve scored. However, once again, he put in an outstanding performance.”
What about the decision to stick with Dybala as a lone striker after Donyell Malen was sent off?
“When Malen went off, it was the natural solution with those players on the pitch. But I was impressed by what he was doing because he started to win the ball back, giving us some breathing space and the chance to break out. There were a few situations where a dangerous counter-attack could’ve developed. He was consistent throughout the full 90 minutes. Obviously, it wasn’t easy. He was the one who was perhaps at a slight disadvantage because he had to move between Como’s two centre-backs, but he did so intelligently and with a lot of quality, like a true footballer who understands the game.”
You created some dangerous chances, especially in the first half.
“I have to say we had some great chances in the first half. Como had a few significant ones too, but I think we gave the impression we could take the lead. Then when you play 30 of the 90 minutes a man down, it means you’ve played two thirds of the match against a strong side like Como with equal numbers. That’s our regret because, obviously I don’t know how the match would’ve ended, but it seemed to me that we were fairly confident of having some great chances. So, we were forced to defend, and we did so with great composure and organisation. It’s clear that when you play 30 minutes with ten men, you come away with a draw and that’s fine all the same.”
How much confidence does that last half an hour give you? What did you think of Pierluigi Gollini today?
“He was undoubtedly excellent at playing the ball out of defence, both with his feet and his hands, particularly in the first half. It’s clear that the team also put him in a position to play in this way. In any case, he was alert and precise. The team ensured he didn’t have to make any major saves, but he is a goalkeeper who will be able to step in very well for Mile Svilar.”
What are you expecting from the game against Real Madrid?
“When I look at Real Madrid, I see a team of incredible champions, both on the pitch and on the bench. We’re up against one of the strongest sides in Europe, who’ve also had an extraordinary transfer window. Jose [Mourinho] left people with amazing memories and a deep affection for him as a coach. However, now ours is a different sort of team, very different from the one that played under Mourinho, even though it hasn’t been that many years. It’s a team that’s giving me great satisfaction, because even today we really needed great morale, great fitness and a huge amount of heart to play like this in Como.”
What’s your opinion on Malen’s red card?
“I don’t know. There was a repeated foul on Malen. Now, to say that Malen plays violently is really hard to argue. He gained momentum after being held back and undoubtedly tried to get in, even touching the ball. However, what’s actually bad is the jump. There’s no intent on Malen’s part. It’s absolutely not in his nature. It was certainly an incident that marred the match. It was a brilliant match, and this made it a bit less so. I realise that, by freezing the frame like that, it’s very easy to pass judgement, but football isn’t made up of still frames. Football is made up of sequences of play, because that’s how you can justify everything. There was no intention or determination on Malen’s part to cause harm. That’s the key point. It’s time to stop relying on still images because they really distort reality. And we’ve been put up with this for years. Now, finally, from this year onwards, we’re able to see a more authentic game of football. Please, let’s not go back to these absurd still images.”
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