Malaguista coach Natxo González was presented to the media this Friday, following the official announcement on Thursday evening, and after he took charge of his first training session today.
Firstly, he regards his arrival at the Martiricos Club as “a challenge, an opportunity to grow and a chance to get to know the city of Málaga. It’s very important for my career, as it’s reaping what I’ve been sowing for many years. Coming to Málaga makes me very happy as to get here we’ve had to work incredibly hard,” he added.
For Natxo González, at Málaga CF “you have to be ambitious and enthusiastic, as this is a big Club.” The new Blue and White manager is aware that in the short-term “the most important thing is to do something to win on Sunday.” During that same statement he pointed out that “the path to achieving medium-term goals” is also important. “A foundation was created last season in what was a pretty extreme situation, and we have to take steps forward from there,” he said about the work already done.
The new coach recognises that “the history of Málaga is indelible. It’s a great honour to be part of this Club.” Natxo González arrives “extremely keen and with great responsibility due to the greatness of the Club.”
Entering into the analysis of the sporting situation, he referred to the aspects that need improving: “We have to be more solid in defence, this is the biggest problem we have. We also need to be able to control the game.” In terms of the skills, he spoke of a “highly vertical team with a great deal of energy. I intend to channel it better with a little more pause and positional play, but it’s a great skill” he went on to say.
In respect of his first training session this Friday morning at La Rosaleda, he commented: “It went well, they’ve had an unusual, difficult week. I tried to convey what I think and put forward small nuances for Sunday, without giving much information and making the most of the good things done so far,” he said.
Natxo González recognised that “they’re all raring to go, a new boss has arrived and they’re all gritting their teeth.” He highlighted the team’s “magnificent attitude and desire to work hard.” The coach knows “the players quite well and there are many very interesting players from The Academy. I like that freshness and that they come up from below, hitting the ground running.”
Lastly, when asked about the objectives, he said: “We’ll try to improve on what was done last season and keep getting better and better. Why can’t I dream and get excited? We’ll see how far we can go. From there, we’ll go match by match. My first focus is Sunday and what we need to do to win. When I go to bed I’ll dream. That’s a motivation for the day to day.”
