“It was a very difficult game with a good tempo, especially for this stage of the season,” Kenny Miller began after the win that sent the Yellows through to the Toto Cup final. “We were very good in the first half and got into a lot of good areas where we could have made more of our opportunities. In the second half we came under a lot of pressure, and you could see we were starting to tire towards the end, but we fought hard.”
The coach continued by analysing the nature of the game: “There isn’t only one way to win a football match. Ideally, you play your style, dictate the game and score plenty of goals, but tonight we had to battle through the final 20-25 minutes. The boys stood together as one, defended the goal with their hearts, and we could also have scored another goal on the counter-attack. I’m pleased with the win and the performance, and ultimately, in cup matches, the objective is to get through to the next round.”
Asked about the condition of Issouf Sissoko, who was substituted during the match, the coach offered reassurance: “He’ll be absolutely fine. It was just a precaution.”
Miller also addressed the current state of the squad and the desire to strengthen further during the transfer window: “Everyone at the club knows where we are, and we’re working very hard behind the scenes to help the squad. In every transfer window, everyone wants to strengthen. We’ve brought in a few players so far, and we need to bring in at least two more. We’re working hard to give the players in that dressing room some more help.”
On the future of Saied Abu Farchi and his performance tonight, he said: “It could be his last game, but that decision will be made by people above me. He’s a fantastic player with a big future. He loves the club and wants to represent it, and that says a lot about his character. If the move happens, he’ll train and play right up until the very last minute, so I had no doubts about playing him tonight.”
Finally, the coach was already looking ahead to the important meeting with Lugano this coming Thursday: “It will be a difficult game, but we’ll prepare and we’ll be ready. We have three days to recover. When you’re at a big club, you want to be playing European football, and that means you have to deal with a busy schedule like this. It only reinforces the fact that we want to bring in more help for the squad.”
