You need to have a balance between attacking and defending in modern football.

Football is a sport where the collective intelligence of the players is as important as their individual skills.

A great coach is someone who can motivate their players to push beyond their limits.

A coach’s job is to bring out the best in his players and help them reach their full potential.

You must respect the history of the club, but also create your own legacy.

Football is a sport of opportunities – if you are prepared, you can take advantage of them.

Football is a language that every player understands, regardless of their background or nationality.

You can’t be afraid to make changes when necessary.

I have always had a great love for football and the joy of coaching.

The best teams are built on trust, respect, and unity.

It’s not about dominating the game, it’s about controlling it.

The only thing you can control in football is your attitude.

A coach should always strive to create a harmonious and positive environment for his players.

In football, if you stop improving, you fall behind.

I spent eight years with Berlusconi, and I still have a good relationship with him.

For me, a balanced team is one that combines defense and attack.

It’s not about the formation, it’s about the execution.

The formula to beat the press is simple; it’s the execution that’s tough. If you have the quality to do so, you pass your way through it. And if you don’t, you just boot it over the top. And then it becomes a game of winning ‘second balls’.

Tactics are important, but they should never overshadow the players’ natural abilities.

Usually, a Brazilian doesn’t like to work hard in training, doesn’t like to stay focused. I trained a lot of Brazilian players. I had a problem with Ronaldo at Milan. It was not easy to get him fit! Ronaldo was 100kg but was the quickest in the 10 metre test!

Every game is different, but the principles of good football remain the same.

The greatest challenge in football is the constant need for improvement.

It is important to know when to rest a player, and when to push them.

Football is a team sport, and it’s the collective effort that brings success.

I have a lot of power. Here, I can decide: training at six in the morning! Training 11 in the night! But my style is not to impose. I would like to convince the players of what they are doing. This takes more time.

The Champions League is not about what happened yesterday, it’s about what you can do tomorrow.

I want to create a team that plays for each other, and that enjoys playing football.

The team had done the maximum to win this game. So I couldn’t be angry. I think this was destiny.

The key to success is to have a clear vision and the determination to achieve it.

You, as a manager, are judged on results and not on the work you do and the performance of the team. Imagine paying a guy a huge amount of money and then judging him not on the things he can control, but on those he can’t.

A coach must know how to manage emotions – both his own and those of the players.

My ass is earthquake-proof.

I remember Elton John used to be their owner and he is my favourite singer! I hope the match will be an opportunity to meet Elton John!

A good coach adapts to his players, not the other way around.

The owner or president is the person who controls the club. The coach’s job is to keep him happy. But the key to success, as a manager, is your relationship with the players. Important clubs and important players succeed when the environment is correct. The players must enjoy their work and feel free to express their talents.

Pressure is something you deal with every day in football. It’s part of the job.

Firmino is the most decisive player because he comes to play between the lines and opens the spaces to his team-mates.

Ronaldo is a unique player for all of his talent and his professionalism. He is a player who is extraordinarily consistent.

In football, you never stop learning. Every game is a lesson.

I have worked with some of the most important players, like Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic, Kaka, Zidane, but the best are easy to work with because they are so professional. Their winning mentality, professionalism, helps the manager. Of course, sometimes I become angry, but usually my relationship with the players is calm.

You cannot coach a team to play well if you don’t understand them as individuals.

I like to be funny. I can’t stay all the time focused, disciplined, controlled. Behaviour like that is impossible.

Comparing Isco to Zidane isn’t ridiculous. He is very close to Zidane in terms of ability, they have a lot of similarities. Zidane is obviously in a better position to judge, and he said Isco isn’t there yet but could come close in the future.

Winning is important, but it’s not the only thing. How you win and how you play is equally important.

Usually, the most intelligent player is a midfielder.

The best players are those who are always focused, no matter the situation.

For me, the Premier League is full of quality, and the clubs competing at the top are the same who compete at the top of Europe every year.

I’ll take account of things at the end of the season. Now I’m expecting a good finish to the league season.

The most important thing for a coach is to build a good relationship with his players.

I started this job in 1995, and I felt the same pressure in my first day, with my first team, Reggiana, in the Second Division, as I feel now. Nothing has changed, but what changes are the number of games, especially for top teams. For this reason, the work has pressure. But only this.

Football is a simple game, but it is difficult to play it simply.

To find a clear identity for the team – that is not about buying certain players for a lot of money. It is about getting players who want to play the right way.

Lyon are the same away from home as they are at home, they have the same way of playing.

I’m not interested in what the critics have to say. I’m interested in making my players believe in themselves.

I’m in favour of innovation, just as long as the game does not suffer for it.

You cannot win without a team, and you cannot win without a strategy.

That is what a good manager does – you study and think and discuss, and you come up with a model of playing.

Why do I regret Chelsea? I’m the boss of the richest club in the world. I have not had much time to adjust myself, but I’ve found a great restaurant! That is the first thing I did when I arrived!

Football is not about winning, it’s about entertaining the people.

Football is the most important of the less important things in the world.