Silva on Fulham's shock 3-2 Liverpool win and pushing for European qualification
06/04/2025
Craven cottage, London, UK
06/04/2025
Craven cottage, London, UK
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00:00Hi, good afternoon you all. Great, great three points for us and I really believe that we
00:24deserve it. As you mentioned our first half was a very, very good level in my opinion
00:28in all aspects of the game. Great goal from McAllister, probably in a moment in that two
00:36duels you have to be stronger or at least to start to be clever to make some tactical
00:44falls that you need sometimes in this type of games, in general in football. But the
00:50reaction was great. All the energy there I said before the match and in our preparation
00:56that is going to be a game that we really needed high energy always, high tempo always
01:04and to be honest our first pressure was very good. You always try to, the right moments
01:10to press them, the two central defenders most of the time they were under pressure, that
01:14was important for us to keep our block compact and not big spaces between the lines where
01:19we know that they like to explore. Of course we knew that after we come some balls in behind
01:24I think we did control really well. As I mentioned great commitment and attitude from
01:29our players related with our plan to the game from the first minute to try to have an impact
01:35and put them under pressure. As you mentioned as well the shots that we had first half showed
01:41that was not just to be high tempo, high pressure team first half, it was to play in our way.
01:46Some of the moments the way we beat the pressure, we knew how the pressure will come from Salah
01:51most of the time, to jump in Calvin Bassa and we were well prepared for it and I think
01:57most of the times we beat there well the pressure left on the side and we carried on most of
02:02the moments from that side too. It was a great performance first half, leading the score
02:07like you were. Of course we knew that we had more, at least 50-55 minutes to play and in
02:14some moments they put us under pressure second half. Even if in the moment that they scored
02:19the game was a little bit under control. I have to be looking for the game, the analysis
02:23that I made. The game was more than under control, it was a moment from a throw-in for
02:29us, we lost the ball and Liverpool in that moment they are one of the best teams in Europe,
02:34the way from the defensive moment they attack quick after winning the ball. We did it wrong
02:40and of course we have to give credit to them. After, okay, boost their confidence and they
02:44have one or two good chances to equalise the game in that moment. We had a very good
02:49one with Harrison Reid as well in a good moment. I think overall after the 3-2 they put us
02:56more under pressure but until that moment clearly we are the best team by far on the
03:01pitch and overall looking we deserve the three points against a team that as we all know
03:07haven't lost one game away from home in the Premier League this season. It's the first
03:10time that they lost a game and it's important for us not to beat them but to get these three
03:16points that were important. After the last nine days for us with three big games for
03:21us, the first two they were not or didn't get what we wanted and what was our ambition
03:27and this afternoon was important for us in another big game, probably against the next
03:32champions in the Premier League, to be able to bounce us back, to give something back
03:38for our fans because they have been really behind the team in the last few games at home.
03:45The environment, the atmosphere is being in a top, top level. It was important for us
03:49to give them something back and even for us because we are here to fight for something
03:54that we want really, something important for the football club and these three points is
03:58going to be very important in the future for sure.
04:01Marco, especially after the disappointment in the FA Cup the other week, how special
04:06was that to them? Was that one of the most special matches you've had here at Creighton?
04:10It was important. I cannot rate this one bigger than some of the others that we have had too.
04:17They are three points, I know that it looks a little bit bigger because Liverpool haven't
04:24lost so far one Premier League game, sooner or later. We all believe what is going to
04:31happen with them at the end of the season but they were really important points for
04:37us this afternoon because we have been strong. It's been a great season for this football
04:43club. In some important moments, decisive moments like last Saturday, as you mentioned,
04:49we were not at our best overall because the first 30 minutes was even better than this
04:56afternoon. That is true, the way we played that first 30 minutes. We didn't score and
05:00after football it's like that. You can be punished every moment if you are not there
05:04but it was a great reaction. Losing a game after two defeats is tough for us. Losing
05:09a game 1-0 against a top side like Liverpool, being able to react, score three goals during
05:13the first 45 minutes and after that show the resilience, the organisation and all
05:20that stuff to be able to handle well the second half was a great one. As you said, what a
05:25way to bounce back and more seven games to play.
05:28Do you think wins like that help you boost the gap and make a step in becoming teams
05:32like Liverpool?
05:34No, one of the things that has changed completely and I have to say, I'm not talking about
05:42myself or my staff, I'm talking about the football club. We have been changing completely
05:48the mindset of this club in all these games. That is clear for me. If you go back the last
05:5315-20 years, how they were really tough these type of games and most of the times it was
06:00not easy to be competitive. In the Premier League you can win or you can lose but you
06:04have to be competitive and just look back and see the story of our games between us
06:09and Liverpool is just an example. This afternoon we won but last season we played the semi-finals
06:14of a Carabao Cup against them and was 2-2 until the last minute of both games. Even
06:21all the Premier League games last season they were really there. This season was the same,
06:25we drew away from Omar Tanfield and just show the mindset is completely different right
06:30now. It's one of the things that please me more because it's the philosophy that I want,
06:36it's something that I want to see in the football club and when the players are able
06:40to respond in the way they did it, of course I'm really proud of them.
06:43You talked about the tactical tweaks and the aggression your team showed, but you talked
06:50about mindset, about how important was it to see mentally from your side to come back
06:55from a goal down, especially in this final part of the season chasing European football?
07:00It was great, it was great. You just can't compete with a team like Liverpool. You can
07:04talk about tactical things, as you mentioned, the way we prepared the pressure was really
07:08good in the first half, but you just can't do it. It has to be connected with the tactical
07:14things and with some inspiration in the attack line, some players. It has to be connected
07:18with high tempo and big dynamic because the way they press, the way they react, the way
07:25they are able from a defensive moment to go quick and attack, you have to be always on.
07:30In the second half, some moments it was more difficult for us to keep that really high,
07:36but it was a great reaction. The capacity to put them under pressure, to create chances,
07:42it was really good. Some good moments, some good goals from players as well, to see Cesc
07:47score again in an important game for us, a very good performance from him in the first
07:52Premier League game, as a starting XI, it was great. Rodrigo to answer again in the
07:57way they did it, it was so nice to see it. The players deserve all the credits as the fans.
08:14We are going to work very hard, really. The only thing from the first day, I promised
08:20everybody and our fans, that is the most important thing to convince them, is that we are going to
08:24fight really hard for the shirt and for our goals. That is clear. The Premier League is so,
08:30so difficult that you can never switch off one day, not just the training sessions,
08:38the players in their own life, you have to be always on, you have to always take care of you
08:42because it demands so much from you. The last two months of the season, sometimes more tired,
08:49less tired, but you have to be always there and push really hard. The next game, as you
08:54mentioned, is going to be against Bournemouth, away from home, a tough one and you have to be
08:58well prepared because it is going to be another game that is going to demand a temporary energy
09:03from us and enough quality to go there and try to win the football match.