Roger Schmidt: "We controlled the game well"

POST-MATCH

Roger Schmidt expressed his happiness at the commitment and class his players showed at every stage of the match against Gil Vicente, which the Eagles won 3-0. The game of matchday 20 of the Liga Betclic took place this Sunday, February 4, at the Estádio da Luz. 

HARD WORK

"We scored three goals, didn't concede any, got the three points, and we're very happy with that. It's not easy to play against Gil Vicente, a good team, especially with the ball, very brave, and many players always find solutions in short spaces. We had to work hard, but we were good most of the time, we controlled the game well, we scored at the right time. With the third goal after the break, the game was decided."

COMMITMENT AT ALL TIMES

"We scored a lot of goals, but not enough, we still have potential, but thinking that we always have to score more is perhaps a coaching thing. We scored in different ways, I'm very happy that we scored from set pieces, we've practiced that a lot in recent weeks. We scored the first two goals from set pieces, against Estrela we scored a goal from a set piece. That's very good, we've scored goals after recoveries, in transition, and also in possession, like the third goal. It was a very good goal; we made a lot of passes to score these goals. Being unpredictable is very important for us in attack, and it's also very important that we always fight not to concede. I saw that today [Sunday, February 4], at the end, there were some dangerous moments, but all the players took responsibility for defending in those moments. Of course, Trubin is always there when we need him, he didn't concede so many shots today, but in the end he saved one or two good balls. I'm happy with the way the players always try to do their best on the pitch at every stage, because that's the mentality you need to win a lot of games and to have a chance of being champions."

BAH'S RETURN TO THE STARTING LINE-UP

"Alex Bah was a very important player for us last season, he's played almost nothing this season, giving him minutes is important for the coming weeks. Of course we don't want to overload him, but he was ready to play 90 minutes, which shows that our medical department has done a very good job with his recovery." 

TRUSTWORTHY FLORENTINO

"Florentino is a gift to all coaches, because he's a player who always gives his all on the pitch, is very disciplined tactically, always at the top of his game. Over the last year and a half, he's developed a lot on the ball, and he's doing it very well. He's a player who always gives us stability, it's been good to give some players a rest, like João Mário and Orkun [Kökcü], and we have very good options. Florentino hasn't always started, but he's always an option. It doesn't matter if he starts or plays as a substitute, he always has a very positive effect on the game. He's a great player, with a great mentality, and he's very good for the team."

RISE TO 1ST PLACE IN THE LEAGUE

"It was good to win today [Sunday, February 4], being in first place isn't so important. For us, it's very important to focus on ourselves. It's a long race, with lots of games, especially in the next four weeks. It's wise not to think too much about the standings, we always need all our concentration and focus on the 90 minutes. Then we have to play, fight, and win a lot of games until the end of the season. I'm only interested in being top of the league at the end of the season so that we can be champions."