Tosin Adarabioyo on fighting for place in Chelsea first team ahead of Shamrock Rovers clash
18/12/2024
Cobham training centre, Surrey, UK
18/12/2024
Cobham training centre, Surrey, UK
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SportsTranscript
00:00We'll start with Paul from Sky.
00:02Thank you. Hi, Tottenham.
00:03Hi, Paul.
00:04I just wanted to start by asking you about Mikaela Ludwig.
00:07Have you been in touch with him?
00:09And what's been the response amongst the players to the news this week?
00:12Yeah, obviously, it's new news to all of us.
00:15We all found out at the same time as you guys.
00:18But yeah, we still support Misha and hopefully things can get resolved.
00:22How are you giving him now support as teammates?
00:25Is there anything you can do in this situation?
00:27Yeah, there's not much we can do in this situation.
00:29Obviously, it's out of our hands, but Misha's part of our family,
00:32so we're here to support him.
00:34Do you think it serves as a reminder to players
00:38that this kind of situation can happen,
00:40especially when you think of going away on international duty?
00:45Yeah, definitely it's something that can happen,
00:47but again, you have to take precautions.
00:49All of us are now being very careful of what we're taking,
00:52and the club's supporting us with that.
00:55Bobby?
00:57Hi, just wanted to get your reaction to the news
01:00of Joshua Choon-Pong signing a new contract today.
01:03Great news. I'm very happy to see that news.
01:06He's an amazing player and I'm very excited that he's here to stay.
01:10Bradley?
01:12Hi, Tulsip. I hope you're well.
01:14First things first, how much are you enjoying working with Enzo Marescua
01:18and what have you learned from him so far?
01:20Yeah, I'm really enjoying it.
01:22It's been an amazing journey since the start of July in pre-season.
01:26Not just me, but every single player's progressed massively.
01:30We're all improving every single day and keep striving for more.
01:34The manager's said from quite a few press conferences
01:36he doesn't think Chelsea can win the Premier League this season.
01:39Is there a belief among the squad that you think you can go all the way
01:42and compete with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal for the title this year?
01:45Our main objective is improving every single day,
01:48improving each matchday and learning,
01:51and just to progress and learn more what the gaffer wants us to do.
01:55So, we'll see where that takes us at the end.
01:57We've seen you guys playing so well in the Conference League this season,
02:00do you think you could potentially go all the way in that as well?
02:03Yeah, that's definitely a competition we've set ourselves up to win.
02:06As soon as we knew we were in the competition,
02:08that's when we set ourselves up to win,
02:10and tomorrow's another game to stamp our authority.
02:16We were just talking to Enzo about how he's managing the situation at Chelsea,
02:21whether it be off-field stuff or the squad generally and on-field stuff.
02:25How do you find him as a man-manager?
02:27Is he someone who comes and puts his arm around your shoulder?
02:29Does he take you aside with things?
02:31What's he like?
02:32Yeah, definitely he's top within that.
02:35He knows how to manage each player,
02:38and it's amazing that we're in so many competitions
02:41because he's able to give us all minutes
02:43and make us all feel important within the squad.
02:46Will he take you aside, say put his arm around your shoulder?
02:50What's his approach like?
02:52Is he easy to have a chat with?
02:55No, he's definitely easy to have a chat with.
02:57I think he can tell what each individual needs,
03:00so whether you need an arm around you,
03:02whether you need a bollock in,
03:04I think he knows the right moment when to do that.
03:07Language.
03:10Apologies!
03:14Just following up a little bit on that,
03:16can you talk about Enzo Maresca's lighter side
03:18and how he can diffuse the situation?
03:20Because in pre-season, for example,
03:22you're in a high spot and he was splashing you from behind.
03:25Does that softer side help build unity as much as a manager
03:30that maybe is a bit more full-throw?
03:32Yeah, definitely.
03:33There's times where he can have a laugh and a joke with us,
03:36but that's mainly off the pitch when we're away from training.
03:39He's, again, just a very nice guy.
03:41He's been a player before, so he knows exactly what it's like.
03:44Can I just also ask you about your role in the leadership team?
03:47My understanding was that you were a part of the reintegration of Enzo Fernandes.
03:52Do you see yourself as somebody that when Chelsea have these hurdles,
03:57whether it's Mudrik, Fernandes,
03:59you can be an off-field voice and a vocal presence?
04:04Yeah, definitely.
04:05I'm here to help wherever I can and be that leader
04:08and keep the team unified like I always try to do.
04:11We have a lot of leaders in the team and a lot more growing as well,
04:14so it's great to see.
04:18Is it important that what's happened with Mudrik,
04:22everything's been going so well,
04:24that it's not a negative distraction,
04:26it doesn't upset the rhythm that you guys have been in,
04:29that you can move on despite when your teammates have been in this situation?
04:33Yeah, it's obviously a very unfortunate situation,
04:36but we're all professionals, we know once we get on that pitch
04:39we've got business to do and that's our main focus.
04:42On Josh, what have you seen that you like about him so much?
04:47For me, Josh has absolutely everything to be a top, top defender.
04:51He's quick, he's strong, he's amazing on the ball
04:54and he's got a lot of confidence, which I love to see in a young defender.
04:58So, yeah, I'm sure he can reach his full potential.
05:01Is that confidence vocal as well as what you can do with all these teams?
05:07Yeah, he's still a young player,
05:08so young players don't like to be as vocal,
05:11but I try to encourage him to be,
05:13because I think it's a very important aspect as a defender
05:15and he's learning to do so with each game.
05:18This is the last game of the Conference League,
05:21and you don't play in the competition again until March.
05:24Is it a good thing that you can be parked away for three months
05:28and you can focus on the Premier League
05:30and what you're doing in that competition?
05:32It's a competition that we enjoy playing, to be honest,
05:34so we might miss it until March,
05:36but we take each game as it comes,
05:38so we'll deal with tomorrow and try to get the best result we can
05:41and then we'll look on to the next one.
05:45Taking you back to Man City, were you with Jack Moore?
05:49Yes, yes, yes.
05:52I don't know if he's calmed down much since he was at Liverpool,
05:56but what are your memories of Jack?
05:58Jack was an absolute character, to be honest with you.
06:00He's an amazing guy, I literally love him,
06:02a very lovely character, but an amazing player as well,
06:05so I'm looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.
06:07There's a few other players who were at Man City
06:09who've been around the League of Orleans,
06:11like Romain O'Connor, St Pat's,
06:13who were patching, just shows you how in football
06:16your stories can take you in different directions,
06:18but maybe sometimes end up on the same page again.
06:20Yes, it's amazing.
06:22You separate at a certain age and at different times in your career
06:26and you just never know where you'll see each other again.
06:29When me and Jack saw the draw,
06:31we knew that we'd be playing against each other,
06:33so we knew it would be a great time to catch up
06:35and play against each other again.
06:37Did you help Jack settle into life in Manchester when he moved on?
06:41I didn't, to be honest.
06:43He was a few years older than me at the time,
06:46but I was playing a few years up at the time also,
06:50so we did become teammates probably from the age of 15, 16.
06:55He was my number six, he was the guy I used to give the balls to.
06:59We had a good partnership, to be honest.
07:01He'd buy me peripherals, I'd give him the balls,
07:03he'd be spraying Diags.
07:05I have great memories with Jack.
07:08Hi, hope you're well.
07:10Sam Raksaki singled you out last week,
07:13praising your leadership qualities,
07:15saying that you really helped him settle into the squad.
07:17Can you talk about your relationship with him
07:19and how specifically you helped him?
07:21To be honest, Sam is a top, top player.
07:25I love to see him play.
07:27He's a bit quiet, I would say,
07:29but to see him go out there last weekend
07:32and put that performance in,
07:34he was very confident with everything he did
07:37and he managed to put a great performance in.
07:40I just try and make him feel comfortable
07:43and make him believe in himself
07:45and know what he's able to do on the pitch.
07:47Your leadership is one of your best qualities, in my opinion,
07:51and coming to a big club like Chelsea,
07:54how was it when you first came in to take on a leadership role?
07:58Did you find it difficult and how have you settled in that role?
08:01I think that's been a role wherever I've been,
08:03so I wouldn't say it's been difficult,
08:05it's just that I've come to a new club
08:07and I just have to do the same thing, really.
08:09It's a young team, so I was able to do so quite quickly
08:14and simply because the boys are also amazing.
08:17Yeah, it's a role that I enjoy doing.
08:20Andy?
08:24The manager just a few moments ago
08:26was talking about when you said,
08:29they say that football was clean when he was a player
08:31and he still thinks it's clean now,
08:33which to me suggests that there must be a bit of a shockwave
08:36when somebody like me says this happens to them.
08:39You must get quite a big shockwave going through the whole football community
08:43and your dressing room because you just think to yourself
08:46how easily something could happen, like an accident or a mishap.
08:50He's talked about his team monitoring everything,
08:52but in the immediate aftermath,
08:56do you sit and reflect and think just how easy it is
08:59to get caught out by these things
09:01and how you have to take so many precautions?
09:04Yeah, definitely there are precautions that you have to take
09:06and it does happen.
09:08I know there must have been a few cases within the sport
09:12that these things have happened
09:14and you just have to take precaution, really.
09:16Personally, I just take things that the club have given me.
09:19So you don't take any supplements or anything like that
09:22or whatever the club gives you?
09:24Yeah, I just take the supplements that the club give me.
09:27Obviously, I'm not aware of international duty,
09:29so I can just purely focus on what Chelsea are doing.
09:33OK, last couple, we'll go Paul and then Jacob.
09:38How much would it mean to you personally to win a competition like this?
09:43It would be great to win a European trophy.
09:47It's a dream and we're in it now, so we're looking to win this.
09:51Does it feel to you that Chelsea are on the cusp of being ready right now
09:54to win the trophies again?
09:56It's been a little while since they've been in that position.
09:58Well, the competition that we're in now,
10:00we definitely feel like we can push on
10:02and get great results all the way to the final and hopefully win it.
10:08You talked before about the manager being quite forthright at times.
10:12On Sunday, he had a very good win against Frankfurt.
10:15Afterwards, he was really focused on the goal that you conceded.
10:18What was his message to you as players after that?
10:21Was it focusing on the positives,
10:23or was he as upset about the goal as he was in public?
10:28I'll say the goal just came at a time that we were a bit under pressure.
10:33We didn't deal with that pressure the best in the last 15 minutes of the game,
10:38and they're the times that we have to see out of the games
10:41to get that 2-0 win and that clean sheet,
10:44because that can be very important for us.
10:46We're not always going to have a 2-0 lead and a two-goal cushion,
10:50so it's just very important to be able to see out those moments.
10:53How do you come away from those games as a defender?
10:56Are you happy that you've won,
10:58or are you someone who's focused on the little details
11:01that are probably going to make a difference at times?
11:04Whether you're ready to challenge the title,
11:07the manager says you've won,
11:09or the team's maybe just going to be a little bit away from that.
11:12Are you happy that you've won,
11:14or are you just hitting yourself over the little mishaps?
11:17Of course, very happy we got away there with three points at Stamford Bridge,
11:22that is the main thing.
11:24But again, we always look to improve,
11:26so I went back, looked at the goals,
11:28looked at how the game flipped at those moments,
11:31and see how we can improve.
11:35I was just wondering, there's so little time between games,
11:40how much information can the players take in
11:43ahead of facing an opponent like Shamrock Holds?
11:46How much do you know about Rovers and Irish football?
11:49They were four years in a row league champions,
11:51but they were pipped to the league title this year by Shelbourne,
11:54who is managed by Damien Duff, a former Chelsea legend.
11:58Yeah, I saw that title that Damien Duff won,
12:02and I know Shamrock is normally dominating the team over there.
12:08The quick turnover in games, it can be difficult sometimes,
12:11the main thing is recovery,
12:13but our staff are amazing in giving us detail and analysis
12:16and everything we need to prepare for the game.
12:18Apart from Jack Bourne, is there anyone else in the Rovers team
12:20that you're concerned about?
12:21Johnny Kenny has scored seven goals in Conference League this year.
12:26That's very impressive, they're things that we're going to be looking at tonight
12:29and today whilst we prepare for the game.
12:31OK, we'll end it there. Thank you, everyone.
12:33Thank you, guys.