Injuries

“This month is a very important month, we’re getting all the injuries in the same position, precisely in a very well covered position. However, this is football, and we are going to put ourselves before the problems and face it with a smile and seek solutions. I’m very happy with the group's work and opportunities will arise. There will be players who may have to participate in a position which they may not be as used to. Faced with these problems we have to look for positives. In the end this is what happens, some sustain injury and others step up. Those who enter have their process such as Juan and Haitam, who already accumulated minutes against Antequera and played a large part of the Cup match, and little by little are taking shape. They are players who are going to help us. Juanpe’s injury is a setback, he was finding the level we expected from him, but we have to be positive and look for solutions.”

Proud of his staff

“Here there are people of the club with a sense of belonging, who feel the pain and love, which is something that is transferred to the players. I talk about the people I have behind me, there are fewer and fewer of us and the work they are doing is superb.”

Proud of his players

“We come from winning a match that I think was very tough in Antequera, as well as the joy and enthusiasm that I saw in Baracaldo in the Cup match that was won on penalties, and the young lads who showed up and gave us a lot of hope. I don't know where we’ll get to in that aspect, since we know the demands of football, we cannot ask the team for more effort or sacrifice. We can ask for something else like being more effective or for more improvement, but in terms of effort and sacrifice it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a team so dedicated to the cause and what the fans represent.”

Giving our all

“I tell my players that we are the ones who generate the enthusiasm. Beyond the casualties, each player in his position has to give their best. The ideal for a coach would be that there were two players per position and they were all match fit, because that increases the competitive level of training and ensures nobody relaxes. I also see players such as Dani Sánchez, who is competing in a brilliant way. Then Murillo, who is not his position, is doing very well. Now soon we are going to have Víctor.”

 A club with a sense of belonging

“I’m very happy with how my coaching team is working. And when I said that they are efficient, it means that they undertake hours and hours and hours of work. They are from here, their families are from here, and this hurts them like any other fan. This is very important. Undoubtedly, we can all improve, there is always room for improvement. Yet often we tend to highly value someone who comes from outside and we do not value the people from here as much.”

Always need to be prepared

“In the face of problems, solutions appear, and that is what I tell all my players. From the first day we arrive, we have to be prepared. Everyone has to be prepared, just in case they have to step up, that’s how it is. Even the ‘juvenil’ player on the bench has to be prepared because we never know what is going to happen. For example, if Santaella had not been ready, it would have been very difficult for him to have performed as he did. He showed a lot of personality as did Cordero. We have to be ready and that is the day to day of training.”

Córdoba CF, a great rival

“They are one of the best rivals in the division, they had a hesitant start, but they are a team very similar to us in terms of the pressure, they pressure very well. Offensively they have people with great speed, they have a very attractive proposal, and they are a hard-working team. They are a candidate to be on top, an aggressive team that puts pressure on the rival. We have to be prepared for all scenarios. It is a very physically demanding match as they are team with a lot of speed. On a defensive level, they also pile the pressure on. We have to know how to ensure we’re pacey when we have the ball and when we lose the ball change the chip quickly, because they are very strong. We are very similar in certain aspects.”

Winning helps winning

“That is the motivation and the driving force, winning activates you and helps you win and boosts your self-esteem. The people in Barakaldo were able to see the enthusiasm and joy, especially when Dani Lorenzo scored that penalty. It shows you perfectly that the group is very united. That is the biggest driver, motivation. It’s also true that we have people who are always there, more than 6,000 tickets have already been sold. The stadium will be packed and that is our biggest driving force.”