“Today, it's easy to sum up the game,” the manager told his post-match press conference. “Fulham were the better team. They were very aggressive, played very direct with a lot of pace in their attacking.
“Then we made too many mistakes. When we had situations maybe to come back into the game, we didn't take them. Then, the red card: again, a mistake we made… inaccurate passing, a tackle in their half, and then a red card. Then, one goal down, playing against a very good Fulham side...
“I think it's the first game this season, maybe, where we deserved to lose the game.
“We have to accept it, and I don't look for an excuse that we missed some players. I think the team that played today could have done better in many situations.
“I think we didn't have this determination in possession. We played too slow, we were always looking, and looking, and looking.
“Overall, if you make so many mistakes, this means you lose more and more your confidence. I think we started quite well after half-time, in the second-half. We had our situations, and then with the red card, to be honest, it looked like the game was over.
“I think today we had several players who were not in their best shape. They can do it better, and this is what it is now for us to get back because we did really well the last week, and now several players are leaving us [for international duty], and others have to rest.
“We could see some players looked a little bit tired, but not just physically tired. They were a little bit mentally tired, and this is what we have to get back: the freshness, the sharpness, and of course the other players [from injury].”