Interview

‘We carried out our gameplan perfectly’

on the team’s performance… It’s an amazing result. They’re a very good side but to be 3-0 at half-time, you’ve got to say well done to the boys.   on playing five at the back and looking dangerous on the counter… We had a gameplan and while we’ve dominated possession in games at home, we’ve conceded some sloppy goals, so we thought we’d change our shape a little bit and surprise them. We played deeper and because of that we were ready to trap them and hit them on the counter - and we did that really well. W

Freddie Ljungberg was a happy man on Monday night, as his side delivered a professional performance to secure a 3-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Our head coach has favoured a 4-3-3 formation over recent weeks, but on Monday night he opted to play five at the back, with the intention of hitting the Blues on the break.

We spoke to Ljungberg after the final whistle - and this is what he said:

on the team’s performance… 

It’s an amazing result. They’re a very good side but to be 3-0 at half-time, you’ve got to say well done to the boys.

on playing five at the back and looking dangerous on the counter…

We had a gameplan and while we’ve dominated possession in games at home, we’ve conceded some sloppy goals, so we thought we’d change our shape a little bit and surprise them. We played deeper and because of that we were ready to trap them and hit them on the counter - and we did that really well. We could have scored even more so it was a fantastic team performance. The players played the gameplan perfectly and their quality showed within that, so I’m happy for them. 

on Eddie Nketiah’s performance…

He’s a great football player. He was constantly running, so he did very well and I could not be happier for him.

on Jenkinson finishing like a striker…

We had a team talk and we will out [from the back] when we can, and he played out really nicely on the wing. Jenko took the empty space in the middle because Eddie went wide and then he put it in, so it was perfect!

on Okonkwo’s performance and handling pressure…

We said at half-time that they’d come at us and we said we could change the system, go more offensive and put them on the back foot, but we thought we’ll stay like this so that we can work on our shape and work on defending well as a unit. That isn’t so easy because we knew they were going to come at us, but they did that really well. We still had a few chances and should have scored, so overall it was an amazing performance.

on playing our final game at the Emirates…

The players love to play at a stadium like Stamford Bridge because it’s a bigger pitch where we can play a bit more and there’s more space for people when they want to go. We’re looking forward to going back to the Emirates, playing on a big pitch and enjoying our home. 

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