**How disappointed were you with the result? You seemed to be quite animated.**
It was an intense, competitive game for sure. The result… we wanted to win, for sure to lose is, we (don’t) like it. But it’s a preparation game, it’s pre-season. We have missed a few chances. First half was really competitive, really even. And second half with 10 men, we have been close to score that goal. It’s been a good pre-season game, great crowd, great atmosphere and unluckily we concede that late goal to lose.
**Were there things you didn’t like?**
Always. In any game, you can do better. That’s part of the process to learn from things that we can do better, things that we have done well. In the stage that we are now, it’s normal that we are going through these momentums. But the result is not the most important. It’s more the performance. It’s 75 minutes for many players. So it was the plan and we respected it.
**It’s the first time we’ve spoken to you since the news Mykhailo Mudryk is free to play again. From a manager’s perspective, what is the situation?**
Yeah, we are happy for him, especially for him because probably we are not able to understand what he has been through in this time and how does he feel at the moment with the things that he had to cope. And we want that he feels part of a team because he’s been training on his own for a long time and that we have the support from everyone, from the club, from the teammates, from the staff and for sure it will take time so once he’s with us we will see how things develop.
**Have you spoken to him and will we see him in Hong Kong?**
Yes, he’s coming to Hong Kong but I haven’t spoken to him yet.
**Do you know much about how he’s going to be handled? He’s not played for a long time.**
We need to see. It’s too early to tell. To see how he is in terms of fitness, in terms of game time that you need to be involved again. So still early to tell.
**Will there need to be a degree of patience with him?**
Yeah, patience. We can expect that. We have the Mudryk… that it will take time. But once there’s a change, things start moving. And for him, it’s a massive change. So we train for his own every day. I mean it had to be really, really hard because he wanted to play football. He wanted to be part of a team. And he was not allowed to do that for such a long time. So once this big change has happened, so now things will move on. And after we’ll see if it takes quicker, it’s slower. But we need to be aware of that.
**The first half, there were a lot of periods where Spurs had the ball. Is that just where the team are in terms of fitness? Or…?**
There were momentums for everything. I’ve said that the first half was really tight with some moments that we could have kept the ball a little bit more. So especially in those last 10 minutes of the first half, we were not able to hold the ball that much, but we were not conceding. So this is the game. You don’t always have the control and not to lose your shape, not to lose your plan in those moments. It was important. After second half, the context has changed completely with 10 men. We have been really close to scoring, but again we want to win, but this is not primary. It will come when we will be a little bit more frustrated for losing points. Not yet.
**What did you know about Mudryk as a player when he was still playing? What did you make of him?**
I remember watching him in Shakhtar, the impact he had, how quick he is. He had good 1v1 situations, how he could create a lot of situations on his own. He’s a special player, but it will take time for sure.
**Is he someone you’re excited to work with? Is it a bit of a surprise that you do get to work with him?**
Yes, to be honest, we were not expecting to have this great news at this moment. We are very happy. We feel that he will be working with us.
**Can I just check what Robert Sanchez’s injury is? And do you know when Mike Penders will be joining you?**
Mike is joining us in Hong Kong and Robert has a minor, not a big thing, but not for today and we’ll have to wait till, let’s see, for the next week. We need to go assessing almost day by day, but for sure there was no point of taking risks today.
**Also announced last night was the resolution with the Football Association, the financials. Now that’s all done, so is the Premier League, UEFA… from a manager’s perspective, is it quite nice to have that behind you?**
Any issue that is sorted is welcome because somehow it can affect the team and that’s my concern and once we don’t have restrictions then it’s good that we have solved that.
**How much have you spoken to Mudryk since you came in?**
No, I haven’t spoken with him yet. I said it before…,, We are meeting and I haven’t spoken yet with him.
**So next week when you see him, how much are you looking forward to reintegrating him into the squad and having an extra winger?**
I am very happy for him. For me for sure, but mainly for him, because it’s massive. To go through what he has done, to get that frustration not to play what you love to do, it has to be really, really hard. So now for sure he’s so excited and we want to help him in that and that he feels part of something because that’s about football, about being a team. This team spirit, everyday training and you miss that when you are not allowed.
**You’ve been in Australia for a week or so. What have you made of the support for the club here, the atmosphere tonight and do you have a message for Aussie fans who wake up in the early hours to watch Chelsea play?**
First, we are thankful for the great support we have received this week. Hopefully we will come in a short time. We cannot come next month, for sure, because this is impossible. But in a few years we can come and keep supporting. It’s been so far that nowadays you get the energy from social media and you feel it.