Toyosi Olusanya was the player that met with the media on Thursday afternoon to preview Sunday’s game against Rangers.
RedTV subscribers can watch his press conference now.
The mood in camp
“Everybody’s looking forward to it. The mood around the building's really high.
“We've had a good week of training and we're looking to continue our form in the league and hopefully get another positive result.”
The week off
“I think it gives us time to work on things in training and become more familiar with ourselves but also gives us that mental break to get away from a game for a weekend, feel fresh coming into a game like this and work on things we can improve on.”
Focused on ourselves
“I think when you play against a team like Rangers, it’s going to be a tough game regardless of whether they are on form.
“We’re more focused on ourselves and we are building confidence, believing in ourselves, believing in our play and hopefully we can get a positive result from that.”
The campaign so far
“I think it's been really good. Of course, we can always improve.
“But yeah, looking at the results we’ve had, we can take a lot of positives from it. We can look at the Dundee game, where we played the exact same team two weeks in a row. One week, we looked not ourselves, and then the following week, playing them again, we showed our qualities. We beat them 3-0, and it could have been four or five, maybe.
“So it just shows from us in the squad that if we believe and right our own wrongs, then we can go on and really do well.”
Personal reflections
“I think it’s been a decent start. I’ve managed to get off the mark in the cup game, managed to get an assist in the last cup game also, a few goal contributions, winning pens, and obviously being involved in a couple of the goals we scored.
“But as a forward playing as a striker, I’m most happy when I’m hitting the back of the net. So, I’ll continue to work on that and hopefully improve in front of goal.”
A physical game
“I think it’s a tough game. With my type of playing style, players maybe look at me and try to impose some sort of presence on me during the game.
“But as I said, hopefully the referees make the right decision, and it’s just about focusing on ourselves, my game and just getting myself up and dusting myself off.
“If you let it get to you on the pitch, then that’s when it becomes a problem. If you just get up and brush it away, then that’s probably the best way to move forward with things.”
The Dons support
“I think it’s a massive advantage, playing in front of our fans. It’ll be a packed Pittodrie, and we know every time they come out to the stadium, we have their full support.
“I think it’ll be massive. They’ll play a massive part for us. I know when we do something right, whether we win a throw-in, whether we go forward or attack, they’re completely behind us, and I think that will egg us on to hopefully get a result from the game.”
Feeling good
“I think that’s probably an advantage for us. We’ve had a week off, we’ll be fresh, but I know how it is. European games are very different to league games. They pose different threats, and it’s a different style of play.
“So hopefully we just come into the game positive, as I said, and we’re feeling good off the back of a full week of training. Hopefully that helps us out.
“We had a few days off and then we came back in, and it’s rare that you can get a full week of training. Sometimes after the last game, you don’t get all the boys training the following day with secondary recoveries and stuff, but this has been a full week.
“We’ve been able to do a lot of training together and just get familiar with the game, and we’ve had time to build on it and just show what we can do hopefully.
“We’ve just focused on ourselves. We’ve worked on things in training, and I think the group’s come together now.
“I feel like it’s been a new group, but it feels like everyone’s been around for ages now, so we’re quite used to each other, I would say.”
One at a time
“As a player, you can only focus on one game at a time. We can’t play against Rangers and halfway through it be thinking about the game against Celtic. You have to just play the game in front of you, and then after each game, we reassess and move on and take it accordingly.
“Dundee was a team performance. Everybody played really well, and I feel like for the game against Rangers, everybody needs to do the same thing again.
“I feel like, as much as you have to defend, you have to attack well. Your goalkeeper’s got to have a good game, midfielders have to have a good game, forward men have to have a good game.
“So that’s what we’re doing. We’re all working together as a unit, and I feel like within that, everybody will probably shine in their positions and just show what they can do.”
