The manager was speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the closure of the window – with four players brought in subsequently on Friday night – and ahead of Sunday’s trip to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The Eagles made seven additions to their squad over the summer, and when asked whether he felt the club were in a stronger position than at the end of last season, the manager replied: “We have to prove it.
“I don't want to say yes or no. We have to prove it, and we will see at the end of the season if we are better than last year. If we score more goals, we are better in offence, and if we concede fewer, we are better in defence, and then we have more points.
“And if we don't do this, if we don't work as a team, if we don't work hard every training session, if we don't improve, we will be weaker.
“It’s not so difficult, but again, we have a great squad, we have great players with a very good spirit in our team, so the basement is here now. Then, it's our jobs – all our jobs, not just the staff's jobs, but also the players' jobs – to use this basement and build a great building.”
