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I was really happy to give Zinny the armband for the game. I knew that the Premier League were paying respects to Ukraine at the weekend’s matches, with all captains wearing special armbands, so we discussed it a bit in the dressing room with other players, then I went to the manager to ask him if we should give it to Zinny. He thought it was a good idea.
Then on the day of the game, I spoke to Alex to see if he was comfortable doing it. It was just a small thing to show him some support because I know how difficult it’s been for him recently, the whole situation. I know how much he cares about his country and about everything that's happening there at the moment.
So it was just to be there for him, to support him and to show him that the whole team is there for him and behind him. I think he was a bit surprised. I don't think he expected it and he told me also he was captain when it first happened while he was at City. I think he appreciated it and was very happy to have the armband.
Some things are bigger than football and what's been going on there has been terrible. So it's a good thing to show him that this team is here for him and everyone supports him. That’s what you should do when you're a team - you should be there for each other.
It’s less than a month since we last played Everton and what we learned from that game is that every single team in this league is difficult to play against.
They played really well against us in that game, defended very deep and when they attacked our box they put crosses in as soon as possible. They are a very direct team so we have to expect a lot of the same things tonight.