Strasbourg-OM: Press conference

le replay de la conférence de presse sur Twitch

Emerson Palmieri: ‘Very happy to be working with Roberto De Zerbi’

The first few days

Thank you for the welcome message. I've been here less than a month, but I'm very happy with the way I've been welcomed here by the players, the coach and the supporters. It's helped me a lot to play well and help the team.

The coach's words

The coach and I knew each other. We had faced each other in the Premier League. I was delighted when he called me. When you know how he wants to play and how I play, it can only be a good thing. Right from the start, I said, ‘OK, I want to come here.’ Now we're working together and I'm very happy.

Strasbourg after Real Madrid and PSG

Yes, it's true, those two matches took a lot of mental and physical energy. We wanted to win in Madrid, and we did some good things there. Against Paris, we played a great match and really wanted to win. We've closed the chapter on the match against PSG and opened a new one. It will be difficult against Strasbourg, who are ahead of us in the table.

We'll face them with humility and hard work.

Timothy Weah

I saw him when he was playing for Juve, I knew his qualities. I see him in training, he's strong, very useful to the team. I'm very happy to be able to play with him and the whole team is happy to have him with them.

Defence

Yes, the first thing I think about is how the team defends, and not just the defence, the defensive line, but I like to talk about the collective work. When you look at our matches, the defence starts with the No. 9. Against Paris, the forwards ran a lot and that helped us a lot. That's modern football. It makes defensive work easier.

Physical condition

Physically, I needed to get some matches under my belt. Against Real, I felt good, a little tired at the end. Against Paris, I felt better, I was able to play the whole match. Looking ahead, I feel good. The more you play, the better you feel. I've already proven that I'm in good shape. I'm always ready to help the team.

Nayef Aguerd

For new recruits, it's important to have teammates who welcome you and help you. They help you understand how the coach wants to play and tell you about the club and the city. Aguerd is a very strong player, he's showing his qualities and I'm sure he'll do even better.

Who impressed you?

That's a difficult question. I knew a lot of players, I played against a lot of them. I'd say Greenwood. You can see he's very strong, with important qualities. There are others, but Mason Greenwood is the one who impressed me the most.

Ajax at home

We're thinking about Strasbourg first and foremost. We know the difficulties we could face there. They're ahead of us in the standings. If you start thinking about other matches, you risk falling. We're thinking about Strasbourg. It's more important than Paris. It will be even harder. We're only focusing on Strasbourg, that's all we've been talking about since Tuesday.

Roberto de Zerbi: ‘I prefer to watch the match from the bench’

The bench suspension

I don't like it at all. I made a mistake, not in what I said, but in my body language. I still had Madrid on my mind. Even though Hakimi took the ball, I think there was a foul. I made a mistake because I tell my players to be correct. Andrea Maldera is my assistant, I trust him, he has the knowledge and skills to do it. It won't change anything, except for me because I prefer to watch the match from the bench. The players will be more relaxed, they won't have me in their ears all the time.

Angel Gomes

These weren't the perfect matches for him, for the tactics. Against Lorient, he was the best player. It was unpleasant for me to put him on the bench. He was supposed to come on in Madrid, but after the sending-off, I changed my mind. I called him into my office to explain. He's a young and important player. For Vermeeren, we'll have to wait a little while for the right moment. Both are very strong and will be important.

Matt O'Riley

We had been following him for a long time with Medhi Benatia. He was playing well at Brighton. He was being courted in other leagues by teams that had qualified for the Champions League. He's serious, he understands football, he can play in several positions. Physically, he's the player who runs the most. He's Danish, he gets on well with Højbjerg, he's left-footed, with Højbjerg who is right-footed, which is good. He does simple things, but he does them well. That's not so easy.

Strasbourg

I remember last season's matches well. Especially the match there, just after the victory against Lyon. They are an organised team with players who run. They are young players who have significant economic value. After the match against PSG, there are two things. On Friday, there will be even more expectation, the spotlight will be on us. Expectations are rising. That's normal, it's not pressure or anxiety, it's positive.

The state of the troops

Traoré and Kondogbia are still unavailable. All the other players are fit.

Ajax after Strasbourg

There's no better way to prepare for Ajax than by winning on Friday. It would be nice to see ourselves at the top of the table on Saturday morning. We can be there after the match against Strasbourg.

Mason Greenwood

I showed him some footage of Rafinha. He had a great game on Monday. He ran a lot. You have to do that all the time, not just once every five or ten games. You always have to have that same attitude. When he runs, when he fights, everyone follows him.

The team

I love this team. I love coaching them, Aguerd, Medina, Aubameyang... Aguerd has passion, a curiosity to learn, to listen. It's to the players' credit, they quickly made themselves available to everyone. We have significant room for improvement. There has been a lot of physical energy expended. We have significant room for improvement in terms of our play. We can manage the ball better in the opposition's half. I'm happy, but to compete where I want to compete, there are things to improve.

Timothy Weah

He's one of the best signings. He can play higher up or lower down. Having Weah is like having two or three players. He can play in different positions and always gives his all in training and in every match. He's more valuable than he might appear. He's a very, very strong player.