Trust in the team
“I don’t know if anyone else will be joining us, but I’m thrilled with the squad I’ve got and the effort they put in. We will value the objectives as we go. We’ve got a lot of room for improvement. The other day we lost three points at home, which wasn’t our intention, but the team gave their all and the stats say we covered more or less 8 kilometres more than the rival, which is a lot. We need to advance in the game. What hasn’t gone, is my confidence in this squad and the players”.
Rival – Girona FC
“Within a week, for the agnostics, there’s been a lot to talk about. They secured a well-earned win against City, and were about to do the same with Atleti. In both cases they played in the same way with the same intentions. They should have been competing in the First Division a lot sooner, for what happened previously in the last minute of a match, but for me it’s no surprise they are in the First Division. This is a team whereby if you slip up, you can leave empty handed. As such, we need to stay focused, play the game we know how to play, which we’ve shown all this week in daily training”.
Cecchini
“Cecchini is in the line-up. Last week he was suffering with some discomfort after the match, and we didn’t want to lose him. He’s had a very abrupt change in the last few weeks, and is gradually adapting. He’s already in the group”.
Ricca’s recovery
“Ricca has been training with us for three days and we’re surprised by him. We initially thought he’d be ready by the end of October or beginning of November, but he’s practically ready now to take part. Everything he’s done, and the pain he’s endued to reach this situation, has been astounding. It can affect Juankar, or Ricca can affect Juankar. That’s what we want, to have players that can occupy that position, and over the last four or five weeks we’ve only had Juankar since Miguel Torres sustained injury”.
System of play
“I know there has been some debate about the system this week, but it’s also true that Ricca, who can play both central and lateral on a particular occasion, has made things much easier. This is something we can’t do with Diego, who is a pure central defender. However, we’ve had to adapt to the circumstances of play, as with the position of Adrián, who tactically is far more stable to play alongside Kuzma. Kuzma’s physical condition has improved a great deal, and we can now say that his situation is enough to play in that position. As such, he has further explanation from the coach’s point of view, which is sometimes misunderstood by the people, as I don’t give you all the information. Although I don’t always get it right”.
Ontiveros
“Right now, it’s no coincidence he received Duda’s number ‘17’, as for us he’s a first team player. We have high hopes for him. He trained five sessions with us, and we understood that he was there for a determining moment of the game”.
