Reaction: Doumbia & Tikvić On First Watford Starts
Yesterday at 05:58 PM
With the Golden Boys exiting the FA Cup in a 4-1 defeat away to Premier League side Fulham, watfordfc.com spoke to Mamadou Doumbia and Antonio Tikvić after both players made their first starts for the club.
Mamadou Doumbia
On the experience of his first Watford start:
I am very happy to make my first Watford start. It was a good game as we played against a Premier League team, it was very hard. I am so proud of the team.
On playing against Premier League defenders:
The Premier League defenders are so, so big, so hard. They play really well, it is not the same as in the Championship.
On putting himself about and winning duels:
It was difficult, because the defenders were so big, you always need to find the defender, you need to play hard, it is normal.
On Tom Cleverley’s message to him before the game:
He said "Mamadou, today is your first game, play relaxed, play with no pressure, play simple."
On how he is finding the move to England from Mali despite his young age:
I am finding it good but in Mali, the weather is different, and the language is not easy to learn, so I need time to adapt.
On his hopes for the rest of the season:
I want more minutes on the pitch, so I can help the team.
Antonio Tikvić
On how he found the experience of his first Watford start:
I am very grateful to make my first start, I think as a team we can take a lot away from this game.
On what Tom Cleverley said to him before the game:
To play free, to feel confident, he trusts me. I think I tried to show that.
On his positive showing in the first-half:
I want to give a big thanks to Clevs, I like him a lot and he gave me that confidence before the game to play like that in the first-half. I think I can take a lot of positives, as well as the negatives, out of the game.
On looking to bounce back after giving away the penalty:
To be honest I am not proud of the penalty. After a good first-half, five minutes after half-time, to concede a penalty like that, it is hard to accept. The team gave me confidence at half-time, so it was not really easy to accept that because I was very angry. I wanted to show the fans that they can trust me as well as the coaching staff. At the end of the day, the penalty was given, so I have to accept that.
On looking to take positives, and what that shows about the mentality of the squad:
Given how we played in the first-half, you can see that we can compete against a Premier League club at their level.
On coming up against Premier League strikers:
I think it is always nice to play against a good striker, because I am also young. For young players to play against good players, it is always the best to play at the highest level, and I appreciate that a lot. A big thanks to Clevs.
On the 4,000+ Watford fans in attendance:
It was very, very nice when we scored the goal. We felt that they were supporting us every second, so we can be proud of them. I feel very sorry for the penalty I gave away today, but I hope they can accept my apology.
