Jimmy Thelin met with the media on Wednesday afternoon to preview Thursday’s UEFA Conference League tie against FC Noah at Pittodrie.

Watch the joint-press conference with Adil Aouchiche on RedTV, click here.

A must win game

“I think it is a must win game if you see the table. We see the table, and the games we have left, and to give us the opportunity to go through we have to win tomorrow. It’s still going to be a difficult game, Noah is a good team, they have a good manager, they have four points after some good results, so they are a difficult team for us to play, but for us tomorrow, to get through we have to win tomorrow at home.”

Mentality of the group

“I think the squad has been stable, at the beginning of the season also, in difficult times we have been open minded to adjust some parts and learn from each other. I think their mentality has been really strong.

“They are growing. I don’t talk about confidence, I think we should focus on going step by step, and developing and growing, and not forgetting what we can do with a lot of hard work. We have been stable in a difficult time, and now we are getting results because of our hard work and togetherness. We don’t lose sight of our goals.”

Qualities of FC Noah

“I think for us we always have a responsibility to show we are good. There are a lot of good teams out there, so it’s good to be exposed to those teams, Noah has a good manager, they have good individual qualities, but for us to get through, we have to make a really good performance to deserve to win.

“They have good qualities, they have good individual players in the 1v1’s, they have a good rhythm to their game, and the rest we will see tomorrow.

“I don’t know what the weather is like in Armenia! But they have good players, they will adapt to the weather here. They have good speed with the wingers, they are good one on one, and how they work together to use their positions. Let’s see what tomorrow brings. I think it’s going to be a tight game, they are good with the ball, we are improving, and it will be a good game to watch.”

Competition amongst the group

“We have been through a lot of changes, and we still have a long term vision for the three years, nothing has changed, we try to build something, and we don’t expect the start we had, because we try to find the rhythm but we didn’t get it in the beginning, but step by step, the pressure is there, but the players and the staff take it step by step. We had to organise the way we defend because we were too open, but with timing and hard work, and players coming back with the competition, with everybody available there is a healthy competition, and they are all pushing.

“Then there is the connection on the pitch, and everybody is growing, one individual is one thing but how they play together is another, the development of some of the players compared to last season is improving, they are growing step by step, and that is also helping us to performance better.”

Learning to manage games

“It is small margins. It is only a few games to get through, and learning from them, and how you manage them, and your understanding of them, the momentum of the game, when you have it, when you don’t, when you are in a big problem, how can you manage the tempo of the game?

“It is one of the most important things, and that is of course my job to help the players, but the best thing for them is to experience it, to understand that sometimes we need to increase the tempo of the game, and sometimes we need to control it in another way, because the game can get away from us. Sometimes when it is not going perfect, you have to have a capacity to stay in the game.

“You can’t expect that every game is going to be 100% how we want it to be, but there can always be the chance to win the game, so I think the team is improving a lot, and we can still play better, but when it is not working sometimes there is still the opportunity to win the football game, so I think the players have grown a lot in their mental capacity.”

Defensive stability

“We have been working a lot on this (defensive stability). I think it is always important, which is why we work a lot on this, to give us a chance when we don’t have the best days with our rhythm, to stay in the game and find ways to win.

“A football team is built on individuals, but it is also about responsibility and accountability, and that is so important. It is always important how you defend transitions, how you defend in a high medium or low block, together, to give you a chance. Everything is connected, so if you do that well, the attacking parts of the team is also growing. In the cups it is always important to be stable and find a way to win the game.

“You always want to score first, but most important tomorrow is to win the game, not how we start.”

Team News

“It is only (Kristers) Tobers that is not available, of course apart from those not in the squad, but everyone else is ready to play.

“I think it is better to have players who are catching up in form, and have different players depending on how the opponents play, but also we can keep the rhythm, because we have so many games between now and year, so everyone is going to play a lot if they are in form and they are ready, so for me it is not a dilemma.”