About the team's injury situation
Muani has been training with the team for two weeks. His condition looks better and better and he may play at the weekend. Solanke is recovering well from the surgery and is taking the next step. Unfortunately, Bissouma encountered some issues during his time with the national team, injuring his ankle ligaments, so he will be out for a few weeks.
About the team's dual sporting director structure
Paratici's return is a positive and obviously he has worked as a consultant for the club before, so I have met him a few times in the past few months and look forward to working with him. I believe we will make a good team. I’m used to working with two sporting directors and that’s what I did at Brentford. I think there is a need for two athletic directors and I think they will complement each other well. Such a structure will work very well and form a perfect match.
Regarding transfer operations
I always have the final say, but you also know that this is a team effort. The three of us need to be on the same page, but if one of us strongly disagrees, that's probably not the right player for us.
About playing 7 games in the next 22 days
We like to compete, and the players would rather compete than train. We have a great series of games coming up. Villa are a top team with a top coach and I have a lot of respect for Emery and he's done a fantastic job. They have a very strong team and I'm looking forward to it.
About rotating the starting lineup
We all have a concept of the strongest lineup in mind, but I want to use the players currently available to build the strongest lineup.
About playing against Villa
I'm not surprised because I saw the same things as in the past few seasons. They have very good players in the offensive organization, such as Morgan Rogers, Watkins, Mullen. This is a top team and they are constantly growing. Sunday will be a very tight game and I hope and believe we can win, although it will be a difficult game.
On the use of expected goals (XG) and data
This is one aspect of my long history of using data to create the right narrative for players and media. At the same time, it is also good to have an indicator or benchmark to guide performance, and I think it is very important to have statistics to support performance.
Seven games is a very small sample, and I am very satisfied with some aspects. The high-pressure press and moderate pressure in the first stage are improving. We are top-notch in crossing and entering the opponent's penalty area.
About Solanke
The good news is that Solanke is improving, but he is still training alone. I don’t want to be too negative and I don’t want to be too excited. He is a naturally physical player, but we have to take into account that he has not trained with the team since July. As for how long it will take for him to recover, I don't know.
About Muani
Muani is looking better and better. When he first came, it took him some time to get to the next level. But that doesn't mean he can't play tomorrow, it just needs time to recover.
About improving the team's performance at home
We hope that our home court can become a strong fortress. This is our goal. If we can make it tough, then half the job is done, and that requires a lot of chemistry between the team and the fans. Every game has its ups and downs and we need the support of our fans. When the fans support the team and the atmosphere is electric, it becomes an incredible place.
About Muani and the World Cup
The World Cup is still far away and I understand the players are thinking about it, but I haven't spoken to Muani yet. My focus now is making sure he's in good shape and if he performs well for us, the rest will fall into place.