José Alberto: "The objective is the match against Almería"

After yesterday’s press conference where Manolo Gaspar analysed Málaga CF’s transfer window, José Alberto said today we have “a balanced squad with a lot of competition between players,” he said happily. “There’s always room for improvement, but we’re happy with what we have. And there’s great versatility, which is important. Our proposal will always be the same. The matches are difficult, the rivals also have a lot at stake, but we always want to do our best,” he said.

The Asturian-born coach is focused on preparing for tomorrow's match and stated that "the objective is to fight against Almería tomorrow." In regard to the match at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, he stated: “It’s going to be a difficult match and we must be focused. We’re up against a great rival, with a great squad and many resources. Almería have clear concepts and very unbalancing players. We’ll try to overcome our opponent. They’re one of the best squads in the competition”.

Taking into account the last few seasons experienced by the Malaguista entity, José Alberto appreciates the first league matchdays of this campaign. “The team has got off to a good start. They’ve had two very difficult seasons, now the situation is one of tranquility, stability and growth. Tomorrow there are three points at stake, like the previous ones or the ones to come. We’re concentrating on obtaining the maximum points possible,” he said.

Escassi will miss out on tomorrow’s game due to his booking in the match against AD Alcorcón last week. The Malaguista coach said that “any absence will be relevant. Alberto is a relevant player. We’ll be able to replace him and whoever does will give a good performance,” he said. When asked about Genaro as a possible alternative for his position and the likely debut of Sekou, José Alberto stated: “It’s a possibility, but we have others. Ramón and Jozabed are joining the squad lists and the day-to-day. We’ll make the best possible decision. Sekou has arrived on good form, adapting to the group. We’re a team that trains hard every day, we’re happy and he’s ready to play. He may be in the starting line-up, he’s come here to help the team.”

Manolo said yesterday that, before the arrival of José Alberto, he had his planning structured with several names in the mix as possible signings. The Malaguista coach confirmed that “many of those names are on the squad” and “that speaks very well of the work that has been done. Teamwork is essential," he added.