Great match
“It was a beautiful match. Their approach is worthy of praise, and I want to congratulate them as well, because that makes their fans and everyone who comes to the stadium enjoy the game. At the start, we struggled more than it might seem, but then we adjusted, and the team took control of the match. Recovering the ball earlier gave us the chance to play more and better. We were behind, and I want to congratulate the players for continuing to push in adversity. Also, with the fans carrying you along, they always push you not to give up. We were able to turn the game around, and in the second half we had the courage to keep pressing high and not take a step back. Today, I think we deserved to finish the second half with a few more goals. We are in a very good rhythm, and we have to maintain everything we’ve done off the ball.”
Enjoying the day to day
“Excitement has to serve as a reason to put in more effort. The first thing I told them was that when you enjoy what you do, what you do is more likely to go well. Enjoy the day to day. That is very present in everything we do. If we want to have a deep passion for what we do, it is essential to enjoy it. And enjoying it also has to include the effort off the ball, fighting, struggling, enjoying what we do, not what we achieve. And being mindful of what we do. We have the obligation and responsibility to uphold this idea and not think beyond Córdoba.”
Evolve and keep working
“The greatest motivation, the best form, is for them to see that they are very good at what they are doing. And to stand out in what they do well. They feel that confidence and flow. We will increasingly focus on that, and the difficulty of winning matches will rise. And we have to adapt to different contexts, because if we don’t adapt, we don’t evolve.”
Chupe’s brace
“I’m fascinated by Chupe’s work ethic. That energy, those legs, are a gift for sustaining our idea of pressing high. Even before reaching the reserve team, Chupe had already broken all records at San Félix with 37 goals. He’s progressing step by step and finding that improvement. His ceiling will be set by himself. Given his age, his growth will be continuous. Hopefully, it will be the best-case scenario. Excelling individually comes through a collective unit that remains consistent over time. That multiplies potential and improvement. It’s also about valuing what we have and maintaining continuity. The boys are doing very well. They’re showing it in the matches, and we have to keep following that path.”
Spectacular streak
“The first person who has to enjoy it is me. I’m going to enjoy today’s match, I’m not thinking much beyond that. The truth is that I was lucky, because when I arrived, there was already an important core of players from previous stages, you remember that time in the reserve team. I’ve spent many years seeing how physios, doctors, and players progressed… and now being with them is like recalling those earlier years. There’s a group of older players who know how to guide the younger ones, with humility and leadership. These players are very important, they’re able to keep everyone on a continuous path of hard work. When things work well, it’s because there’s good harmony behind it and a group of players pushing every day in training.”
End of the first round
“32 points. Our greatest ambition is to go to Córdoba and play a good match. My conviction is to go to Córdoba to win. I don’t know how many points it will give us by the end of the season. I would like all the players to have that mindset, because it will help us in the competition.”