He said after the game:
"Physically it was a tough game. What you can see is the spirit is strong in the team and that everybody works for each other. That is very positive. It has been a perfect pre-season to start the championship.
"I was very disappointed with some of the challenges. I think some players were a little bit overboard, but we kept our nerve. Some ways, the fact that you know you would be suspended in England if you over-react here helps us.
"I am proud of them because you cannot let everybody kick you without showing that the team is ready to respond. There was no over-reaction."
"Today we had Gilberto out in midfield, Song, Diaby and Fabregas did not play, so we have plenty of quality players, and the pre-season tells you that we have a big squad."