Roger Schmidt was the protagonist of an interview with UEFA, in which he underlined that “it didn’t take long to have an excellent understanding” with the players.
“The quality of life in Portugal, and particularly in Lisbon, is very high. I already knew. What I didn’t know is that people make you feel at home very quickly. It didn’t take long for there to be a very good chemistry between me and my players and we also made some very good signings. Success breeds confidence and with that, we end up getting into the right rhythm,” she said.
The German coach indicated the language as a barrier, but also a way to overcome it: «I couldn’t learn Portuguese in such a short time. Sure, now I’m working on it step by step, but I think English works very well in Portugal: almost all Portuguese people speak English and, in my experience of training abroad over the last few years, translation has never been a problem .”
Roger Schmidt confessed that one of the secrets of the Eagles’ success was the way they combine youth and experience:
«The Otamendi/António Silva duo is the mirror of our team: a young player and one who has played for City and Argentina and won a lot. The big challenge is to successfully combine all these different experiences. Of course, a young player needs more information and tactical advice, while an experienced player only needs specific instructions. It’s exciting and fun for me.”
Schmidt reviewed the group stage of the Champions League and gave a glimpse into the knockout stage: “We clearly had a complicated draw, as we took on Juventus, PSG and Maccabi. In the beginning it wasn’t important for us to finish first or second, but it’s obvious that, in the final stretch, we felt, especially after the two games against PSG, that first place was attainable. That was unlikely on the last trip. Obviously we were a bit lucky to score goals at the right time. It makes a big difference to be first or second in the draw and also play at home in the second leg. We have shown that we are able to focus on one match at a time and of course we will do that in the knockout stage as well. We have been thinking match by match throughout the season, we try to do our best in all competitions and play in the best possible way.”
