Roger Schmidt: "Excellent collective display"

PRESS CONFERENCE

Third rout in a row, the second for the Liga Bwin, and consolidated leadership in the competition. The win over Estoril (1-5), on matchday 12,  made Roger Schmidt proud of his players' performance.

QUALITY OF PLAY MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR RIVALS

"It's not easy to play against us. The players have shown a great attitude, always prepared to take responsibility to fulfill the plan drawn up.As long as we are like this, it will be hard to beat us, but it's not impossible. For us, every game is a new challenge, but my players were very good."

FIRST GOAL GAVE A BOOST

"We played a good game, and it's not easy to play here. Estoril is doing a good season and, defensively, had only conceded 10 goals in the previous matches. The key was to score the first goal and take advantage of that momentum to score more before the break. With 3-0, we were in a good situation and the attitude was very good after that. We were very focused, and whoever came in played very well. It was an excellent collective display and a very important and well-deserved victory."

ATTACK THAT KNOWS HOW TO MANAGE AND MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS

"We created a lot of chances and could have scored more goals. We were able to speed up at the right moments and we have players with a lot of quality, who make good decisions. We also have quality in ball recovery and in transitions. Once we recover the ball, we have several options to follow up on the play. We were also good at set pieces, the goals are a consequence of the way the players invest in the attacking moments." 

LONG WAY TO THE TITLE

"We are on matchday 12 and we are not champions yet. We have an eight-point lead, but there are many points to be won. There is a very long way to go, we are doing well at the moment and the goal is to be champions. The challenge is to be consistent all season long and continue to play like this at the highest level, with this concentration, discipline, and focus to win. That way, we will have a chance to be champions."

ANTÓNIO SILVA IN THE RIGHT PLACE

"A few weeks ago, we had three top central central defenders injured, and António showed up. He got his chance and has been doing very well. He's been playing at a great level against top opponents. He has shown good understanding with Otamendi and this is a position where a coach doesn't like to mess around too much. He has also shown confidence starting the build-up and today he was in the right place to score two goals. He has a great attitude, he is special, he is always focused, and we are very pleased with him."