“We lost Nelson on the right, we lost Ait-Nouri on the left, two players with great pace, each in their own way. We lost [Matheus] Cunha, who was also decisive with goals and assists. And we lost Pablo Sarabia, who was always a first-choice player to come in and move the game. We have to replace him.”
Matheus Cunha, Nélson Semedo, Ait-Nouri, Sarabia, a midfielder… Last year we clearly felt we needed a midfielder. One more player, one more attacking solution, we’ll see. I’m a little worried as a coach.
“But of course I have to understand the market. I have to understand that the market isn’t easy, but time is passing, and I know that in a month we’ll face City, already loaded with reinforcements, and we can’t make the same mistake as last year, which was starting the championship poorly, falling into the relegation zone, and then it’s a pain. I should be working with everyone right now, preparing ourselves to be as competitive as possible right from the start, but I’m working with ten or twelve young players from the academy and I can’t prepare properly and as we should because the team is missing key positions, and we’re waiting.”