RLB POST TOFFEES

Here's everything Regis Le Bris said following his side's 1-1 draw with Everton on Monday night...

XHAKA FIRST GOAL

“He’s really important because we have many young players and many new players in this league. They don’t know the condition and one player like Granit, with his previous experiences, is really important for us. He has this quality to score. I’m happy to have this kind of player. He wants to play football, he wants to be competitive, he’s always connected with the game and he sets the standards.”

ONE OF THE BEST

“Best midfielder in the league? I don’t know, because we have in this league many really good players. We love Granit, so probably we won’t be a good judge in this situation. He’s really important. I think he enjoys playing with us as well, because the lads are well-connected with him, with the way of playing, they want to fight until the end."

AIMS FOR THE SEASON?

For me, the next target is Arsenal. I’m always just connected with the next game.”

ALDERETE FITNESS UPDATE

“We don't know yet [whether he’ll be fit to face Arsenal], he had a residual symptom, so we have to assess his health.”

POOR START

“We didn't start well, or the opponents started really well, they were better than us, they were dominant. We were not composed on the ball and we turned the ball over many times, so it was like we fed their dynamic, because they like spaces, they like counter-attacks, they like 1v1s, Grealish, Ndiaye... they are really good when they have space to exploit, and because of our turnovers it was possible to do that."

GREW INTO THE GAME

“Later in the game I think we were more composed and we dominated the game, but these first 30 minutes were not at the level of the Premier League. I think it was connected with the game plan, we didn't find out something new, it was just a question of doing, and sometimes you can understand where are the spaces, how you can manage the build-up, the progression phase and so on, but it's much harder to do it on the pitch, so it was a question of quality at that minute, but we switched on a bit later and we are back in the game."

LEARNING CURVE

“What I can say is that Everton worked hard the first part of the game, they defended well, they ran everywhere and it was tough to break this pressure, so it's a question now of level, we have to lift this part of our game, but I think we have this quality, but we are still a really young team, so we need experiences and with back and forth we will improve our level.”

UNBEATEN AT HOME

"I think with our fans, when we can generate different positive actions we feel this extra drive from the stands. It helps a lot. It wasn't enough for the second goal, but for the future I hope it will be the case again."

ONTO ARSENAL

"It will be an exciting challenge. In football, at that level especially, you want to play against the best teams and Arsenal obviously are the best at the minute. It's an exciting fixture for us, for our fans, for the region, and we are looking forward to playing this game."