I am really disappointed about Sunday’s defeat against Manchester United because we showed exceptional spirit in the second half.
The players gave a fantastic response after a nervous first half when we were not at the required technical level. We were much better after half time and I thought we had the chances to win the game comfortably.
It was important not to make a mistake with our tactics or concentration levels and we were caught out at a time where I felt we looked the most likely winners. Man United took advantage and you feel they are slightly more mature than us in every position at the moment.
Having battled like we did only to come out with nothing is very difficult to take.
The fans made their feelings known when I replaced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and they are free to express their emotions because they pay for their tickets. We cannot dictate to people how they behave.
However, I believe I made the right decision by starting Alex. When I took him off he had started to feel some fatigue and had stretched his calf. He was also ill during the week.
The result leaves us in a very difficult position because we couldn’t afford to lose. But there were also a lot of positives to take – the way we responded in the second half for example.
What is clear is that we need our injured players back. When you see what we created in the second half without them it was promising, but we need a fit and healthy squad as soon as possible.
