Match against Las Palmas
“We have the desire and need to get a win and claim the three points, so the situation settles down a bit. We achieved many victories during the pre-season. I never give these pre-season matches any importance, as it looks as though there are no problems and everything is sorted out. Logically, when the competition gets underway and we face more serious matches against important rivals, we’ve found it more difficult to secure victories. Within all this though, it’s crucial to remain calm. The season is very long and the team is working well. What gives me confidence is seeing the team making an effort, working hard and putting a lot of interest into changing the dynamic. For better or worse, the results are short. At any moment we can change the situation, and I’m certain it won’t take long to get our first victory.”
Three matches in one week
“Up to now we haven’t blamed fatigue, which, presumably, we’ll suffer with having three games within six days. We’ll approach this match with the players we consider the best to try and win. The following game against Eibar three days later, we’ll evaluate which players have recovered the best and which we need to change, knowing that within a further three days we’ve got another match. In this first match, fatigue isn’t a factor.”
UD Las Palmas
“There’s no doubt that Las Palmas have kicked off the competition with some very good results. However, it’s also true that we’re only three games in. It’s too early to talk about revelation teams or those doing badly. It depends on the calendar. It’s too little time to reach any definitive conclusions. I think we need to see a few more matches before looking at where the teams are settling. We’ve got time to analyse that sort of thing later on. Las Palmas have got some great results. In the last match against Sevilla, it was a shame the three points escaped at the last minute.”
Defensive work
“Málaga are the team who have received the fourth least number of shots at goal by rivals, behind Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, the three big teams with budgets infinitely superior to ours. That’s to say, Málaga are the team who have taken the least hits at the back. We’ve made personal mistakes, blunders that have proved very costly and lost us points and matches. As such, all I can do is strengthen the work of the players, and give them confidence to continue on the same line. We remain the team to receive the least number of shots behind the big three, and we’ll have more possibilities as we move forward.”
