What lessons have you learned from last season?
Mauricio: “We’ve talked a lot about last season and in football, it’s important to learn from good and bad experiences. For me, it’s easy to explain, it’s about mentality, it’s about never giving up, it’s about being concentrated until the end. Last season wasn’t a problem with physical condition, it was about us switching off in our minds after Chelsea and we conceded the second place to Arsenal. That’s what happened. We need to learn and to fight until the end. Football is about mentality and the energy in your mind, not only in your body.”
How do you now assess the title race after the weekend’s results?
Mauricio: “It’s true we reduced the gap by three points but it’s still a big gap, seven points is a massive difference. For us, it’s about being focused and try to win games. Our challenge is to win the next game and step by step, game by game, that’s most important for us, try to improve on last season, we are improving and to be consistent. There is still a lot of work to do and there is still a big gap with Chelsea.”