John McGinn Quotes

At the beginning of the week, when we do our game planning, we look at the opponent and all the unique things they do.

In tournament cricket, with a new opponent each game, I think you actually need to play to your own strengths more.

I experienced how Pep Guardiola worked every day. He had football on his mind round the clock: 'What system does the opponent like to play? How do I want to set up my team, who do I want in which position?'

The way you adapt and play against different teams and different styles is going to be important.

Scouting is important. You just want to know whom you are playing against and how to play them well within the team's defense.

I don't know why I performed well against Arsenal, but probably we prepared well, and it could be their football style as well.

Find out what the other team wants to do. Then take it away from them.

The old adage that you shouldn't change a winning team doesn't apply in modern international football because managers have to study the opposition and pick players who exploit their weaknesses.

There are small things that every coach brings when they go to a new team. Like, you need to press this way or the other way.

Pep and his staff work very hard, not just on the training pitch but also with the analysis of opponents, and now, of course, we understand more how he wants to play.

We're always trying to evolve and find more efficient ways, more fluent ways to evaluate our players, evaluate our opponent and evaluate our prospects.

When I watch a match, I always try to understand what the batsman is trying to do so that I know what I should do to get him out.

I just feel like when I come up against another team, I'll always look at their best players and I'll think, if I can stop these doing what they are doing, then I'll get noticed and I'll help the team as well.

It is not about the system, it is about how individuals perform on the pitch and whether they do the right things, so it is not as simple as just picking a system.

My coaches do all the breakdowns of my opponents, and I leave that up to them.

If he's averaging 25 points and I can contain him to 17, then I've won the battle. If he averages 12 assists and I kept him to seven, I'm winning the game.

Anytime you get to play a team twice, you have a feel for what they do and how they play.

I consider that part of my job as a pro: to know who you're up against and how the attacking players play, what kind of characteristics they have, their qualities, how they move, their preferred foot.

There's a decision each match. I decide how we are going to play, and it depends on the opposition 30 per cent, their structure, and 70 per cent is for us.

Our players know that we try to come in each week and put ourselves in the best position to have a chance to win, and sometimes that means some people playing more than others; sometimes it means using different personnel groupings in different weeks.

Every coach has his own ideas about managing the team and how it plays.

In football, we tried each week to come up with the best game plan for every opponent. Some were tougher than others.

When you're playing a good team, not too many point guards want to go one on one. When you're playing a not-so-good team, teams that are fighting to make the playoffs, guys are going to want to try and get their own. It's just a different read of each team.

Offensively, you do what you do best and you do it again and again. Defensively, you attack your opponent's strength.

Well Xabi is entitled to his opinion our team would never criticise another but we will look to exploit his lack of pace!