Thomas: “I think we all have an idea in our head what could be the strongest team with all the players available, but probably the reality is that you need to create the strongest possible team of the players you have available now. That is my task, that is my job and get the best out of that. So, it's nice to dream a little bit, but like with all dreams, it's not reality - reality is here, now, what kind of players we have available. That said, of course, I'd love some of them to be fit and available.”
Are you a little surprised with Villa’s start considering how good they’ve been in the past couple of years?
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Thomas: “This is meant as a positive. I would say no, because when I see them performing and their structure and the way they play, I see a lot of the same that I've seen from Unai Emery's Villa team in the last three seasons. I see a lot of the same strengths. They're very, very good in the build-up and in phase two and have fantastic structure. They're very composed and have fantastic players. We know in Rogers, doing fantastic, Ollie Watkins, Malen is starting to score goals, Onana in midfield, Kamara, I know Tielemans is injury, but that's a top team. The back four is very good as well. It's a team and you can see they're growing. I expect an unbelievable, tight game on Sunday that we're very positive about and that we will do everything to edge. We hope and I believe we can, but it will be a strong test on Sunday.”
How much info do you use with data in regard to your approach to matchdays?
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Thomas: “Not too much to matchdays, I would say. I use data, of course, I've done that for a long time to create the right narrative that I want to maybe get across to the players or to you guys to make sure we get the right message out there. That's one thing. Secondly, I think it's good to have another indicator or benchmark that you can look towards that is analysing performance. But my eyes and my knowledge or principles of what I believe in is always the most important thing. I think it's very important to have the stats to back up the performance either way, good or bad.”
Do the stats match up with what your eyes are telling you?
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Thomas: “I think there's yes and no. I think there's some areas I've been very happy with. So, it's not only xG, both ends, that's very simple to look at. I've always wanted it to be top and at the other end, but I think seven games is a very small sample, in general. So, there's elements and parts of our game I've been very pleased with. For example, the high pressure, a bit of the phase one as well. I think our middle pressure is getting better and better, for example and then a big thing for me, number of crosses and arriving in the box. We are in the top. That’s key for me, because if we put a lot of crosses in, hopefully more with quality, have enough players arriving in the right gaps, in the right areas, that would give us a big opportunity for scoring goals.”
Do you think it will be likely we’ll see Dominic Solanke before the next international break. Will you have to be cautious with him?
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Thomas: “I think the good thing is he's positive. He's progressing now. He's still training on his own, so I don't want to be too excited or too negative either way. I'm actually taking a little bit day by day and week by week to see how quickly he progresses. Dom is a naturally fit player. There are some players that naturally get that fitness up to a high level. But of course, also he's taken into consideration he basically hasn't trained with the team since July. That's not to say it will take three months to get up to pace. It will take a little bit of time to get up to pace. How long, I don't know.”
How excited are you to get Kolo Muani out there and be able to use him in this busy period?
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Thomas: “I think it's very important to have him fit and available. I think he looks better and better. I think it's also fair to say that he has trained two weeks with the team and when he came on the 1st of September - time flies! - he still needed a bit to go up to the higher level. But it's not to say that he can't be involved tomorrow and maybe can play minutes. But I think it's fair to say that he needs a little bit of time to get up to a full level.”
Home form hasn’t been great for a while, before your time. Looking at the fixtures - Villa, Chelsea, Manchester United - are those the type of homes games you’ll relish over this period to correct this home form?
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Thomas: “In general, I think every team, and I can speak us, we would like our home to be a fortress. That is the ultimate aim. Can we make our home an unbelievably difficult place to come to? Then the job is half done in terms of what we like to try to achieve. That is an unbelievable cohesion between the team and the fans. That needs to go hand in hand. It can not only be the team. It can not only be the fans. It needs to be both. And we need to bring energy to each other. That is absolutely key and we need to do everything that we can to work unbelievably hard, perform well, try to be positive, all of that, but we also need a little bit of help. We know football, in every game, goes a little bit up and down. You have good spells, bad spells. The Premier League is the most relentless league in the world. It's so difficult to compete in, so we need the fans, especially, especially in the tough moments. The better they can be behind the team, not easy, because it's not easy, the better it will be and they will feel more success for the team. So, we need that. When our fans are behind the team, and the stadium is rocking, I think it's one of the best places in the world.”
How pleasing was it to see Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel’s form for France Under-21s in the international break and how keen are you to continue trying to help them fulfil their potential?
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Thomas: “It was so nice to see both of them perform well for their country. I agree. I watched all their assists and goals and actions from their games. I think sometimes you are in momentum, you're in good rhythm. Clearly, both of them are in a good rhythm, scoring goals, performing well, having good actions. So, I think that's key. I'm pleased with both players in general. I think they are developing and taking steps in the right direction.”
Have you spoken to Kolo Muani about going to the World Cup?
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Thomas: “The World Cup is far away, in general. I understand that the players are thinking about it. I haven't spoken to him about it, if I'm honest, because I think for any player to want to be involved in the World Cup, you need to play. And for whatever reason, he hasn't been able to do it yet. What I'm focussing on is to make sure that he is in a good place. Try to get him into his best possible performance level. And when he is in that best possible performance level, he'll hopefully do very well for us, and then the rest will take care of itself.”