At 3 a.m. Beijing time on October 14 (CET), Lille will visit Arsenal for the second match of the UEFA Champions League group stage. On the eve of the match, Lille manager Davide Ancelotti held a press conference, with the second part presented here.

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Good evening, Davide. Have you been closely following Arsenal's recent matches against Brighton and Leeds United? What are your impressions of these two games? Do you feel that facing them now offers more opportunities and space to achieve a desirable result?

Premier League matches are always exceptionally demanding and physical, with many teams displaying extremely distinct tactical styles and characteristics. Every matchup is very different. Both Brighton and Leeds United posed significant problems and challenges to Arsenal, and their styles are completely different. Additionally, Sunderland also demonstrated excellent tactical quality when facing Arsenal.

We must give Arsenal the respect they deserve; their strength is well known throughout Europe. However, while respecting our opponents, we must never lose our own team identity and tactical character. We will prepare thoroughly and meticulously for this match, fully demonstrating the quality of our football and causing enough problems for Arsenal tomorrow night.

On the day before the Champions League match, we didn't see Lille conduct its usual open training session at the stadium. Could you explain the reason for this change?

This is indeed an unusual arrangement. Undoubtedly, a positive mindset is crucial for a team, especially when training before a match at a legendary stadium like the Emirates, which typically provides a significant emotional boost. However, things don't always need to follow a fixed pattern. Making such an arrangement the day before a match is a preparation method I personally have always used and genuinely prefer, and that is the fundamental reason for my decision.

You mentioned feeling old now, but you're actually still a very young coach, and you yourself are very young. However, as assistant coach, you already have the glorious experience of winning the Champions League twice. Now that you are stepping up as head coach, what inspiration have these valuable Champions League winning experiences given you?

These experiences taught me that the Champions League is a unique and incredibly special competition. On this stage, you face Europe's most elite and formidable clubs. Therefore, the level of focus required is unique, and the dedication and unwavering belief within you are equally unmatched.

In this competition, incredible miracles can happen. I personally have witnessed all kinds of miracles in the Champions League—for example, dramatic comebacks in just a minute. All sorts of unbelievable and crazy scenarios can unfold in this competition. Because of this, we must always maintain firm belief and fight with total confidence until the last moment. Therefore, all these precious lessons and insights I've gained from past experiences are precisely the central spirit I'm currently striving to convey to my players and the entire club.

Arsenal is extremely strong in set-piece attack and defense, and you previously brought in a set-piece specialist to improve the team's performance in this area. How much improvement do you think the team has made in set-piece details? How will you neutralize Arsenal's threatening set-piece tactics tomorrow night?

Set-piece tactics are an area where we invest enormous amounts of time and energy every day in in-depth study and intensive practice. I believe that since last season, our overall defensive solidity has remained very stable and consistent. However, in the second phase of defense—specifically, in contesting second balls—we definitely have significant room for improvement. Sometimes, when playing against teams like Nice, we encounter some problems and risks in dealing with second balls, so we have been conducting targeted training to continuously improve this aspect.

At the same time, on the offensive side of set pieces, we are actively developing our own offensive tactical characteristics, which is also one of our main tactical objectives for this season. I think that so far this season, we've only scored one set-piece goal against Betis, through Alessandro Ribeiro, so we will continue to train hard.

All of this requires time to become established and integrated. You need to implement every detail: sometimes the movement and pull in the box are excellent, but the pass might not be precise enough; other times, the pass is very good, but the off-the-ball movement to attack the ball in the box is lacking. Therefore, I believe it really takes sufficient time for the team to fully integrate and execute all these elements perfectly.

Although Lille's recent results have been quite good, critics raised some concerns last week about the team's performance, suggesting a perception of a lack of intensity during matches. Do you believe this intensity will emerge naturally in the Champions League? Will the team elevate its competitive level to a new stage in this competition when facing such a strong opponent?

It's very difficult to perform consistently at a very high level in every match. I frequently watch various matches around the world and have never seen any team play nearly perfectly all the time. We must clearly examine the areas where we urgently need to improve. It is undeniable that we are still in the phase of exploring and shaping our team's offensive tactical identity, and we are devoting all our efforts to it.

However, I firmly believe we have an extremely solid defensive tactical foundation. Currently, we are on the right path, which is crucial for the team to build confidence. We have many excellent players with high technical quality in attack, and I'm confident that as the competition progresses, the team's confidence and competitive quality will continue to flourish. I have no doubt that in tomorrow's match, we will show everyone our intensity and fighting spirit, competing for every ball on the pitch.

Traduzido por IA.

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