Joaquin’s comments:
Baptista’s injuries / on form
“It’s a real shame that just when he was about to begin running and touching the ball this injury happens. These things can happen and they’ve happened to him. Let’s hope he gets better as soon as possible because he’s a very important player for us. I, little by little, am better; I’ve felt good in the minutes I’ve had and I’m at the coach’s disposition.”
MCF-Levante
“It’s what we’ve been looking for – those two games to move ourselves forward and get up into a privileged position. They’re a direct rival for us, Levante has many veterans, they know how to play, and to their credit their maintaining their position. It’s not going to be easy because they’re a strong team and if they get ahead it’ll be tough getting goals on them. We’ll try to ensure this doesn’t happen. Winning away? The team’s full of confidence, we know that doing things well we can win any against any team and, on top of it, it was a really important morale boost to get that away win after such a long time.”
Rhythm of matches / team philosophy
“I’ve had a few good weeks of training, and it is tough after a month and a bit off to get back into shape and to get the pace of the matches, but now I’m feeling pretty good. Doubts on the right wing? Let’s see who’ll play; Martín (Demichelis) played last time and we’ll be trying for that not to stick out. Pellegrini’s philosophy of football we all know – touch, mobility, and creating lots of chances from the back – and even though it’s not easy we’re getting there bit by bit. In the last few games (at home) we’ve take big strides forward, but the initiative both at home and away is to face every game at 100 per cent and not to think about the rival.”
Levante veterans
“Juanfran, we’ve played against him a few times. He’s a clever player, if we play we’ll try and be a nightmare. We know it’s not going to be easy, they’ve got the most experienced defence in the First Division, and they’ve got everything worked out. They’re a team who know how to play.”
Support for ‘Mucho Más Que Fútbol’
“It was a great experience because what you see on the TV and what I found there were not the same thing. From what I saw, there’s an exceptional community inside, they’re people who’ve made mistakes in life but it was worth visiting them.. We normal people like them, who make mistakes, and they really appreciate these kinds of visits. And there are some good footballers there.”
Role in ‘Aida’
“I’m getting to know a little bit of everything. It was a great experience, I went to a load of places for ‘Aida’ where I had a great time thanks to everyone, above all to Pacio Léon; it was a brilliant experience. I was filming all day with Luisma and I couldn’t stop laughing.”
Support for the medical staff
“The important one is him (Baptista), regardless of what has been said, we’re trying to cheer him up as much as possible; and the other important thing is that the team is trying to reach its objectives. It’s a real shame he’s not with us and the team will miss him. Support for the Medical Services? Of course. They are the one who are with us 24 hours a day, monitoring any injury, or any problem with us and our families, we know what we have and the work they do every day. The worst thing is that Baptista can’t be with us.”