UD Almería
“Almería have a coach who knows the club inside out and who has the formula to achieve their goal. They’re a team with great depth, featuring the league’s top scorer, Luis Suárez, and are favourites for direct promotion. In a long competition, it’s challenging, but in a single match, if we stay true to ourselves, using the example of our last game here against the most in-form team (Racing), we must give our all. Playing in front of our fans, we have our chances.”
Realism and competing
“We can’t go from excitement to frustration. We need to be aware of reality and not think we’re better than we are. If we start believing, or people think, that what we were achieving was normal, it’s not normal. We have to keep overcoming obstacles and managing the team. All newly promoted teams go through this phase of difficulty, and we need to be mindful of the reality, or we’re doing ourselves a disservice. However, in a single match, we can compete against any opponent.”
Humility and persistence
“Muddy boots suit us better than executive shoes. We need to know who we are. If we’re aware of that, the memory is there, look at last year. We secured mathematical safety, and yet there were doubts everywhere. This is an exercise in survival and resilience. Frustration comes from seeking immediate results. Tomorrow, we have to compete, as we’ve shown we can, and if we do, we’re capable of beating anyone. If we go in with a fighting spirit, we can win any single match.”
On alert
“It’s hard for us to win, but it’s also hard for opponents to hurt us. Our victories are often by the narrowest margins, always staying on high alert. Tomorrow, we’re facing the best team in the league, in every way, the number one favourite for promotion, even more so than Racing. But I trust the boys. In front of our fans, we always give that extra effort, and what we want is for our supporters to leave happy. And to win.”
Creating and scoring
“We’re working on every possible mechanism to improve these situations. Maximum focus, maximum attention, and daily effort. The goals will come. We’re creating chances, we just need that final pass, those moments in the box where we must better occupy the key scoring positions, and continue improving on many things we’re already doing well. We’re being bolder than last year, and we need to add more speed and clarity for our forwards. We must keep creating because, in the end, the goals will come. And we have to believe in what we’re doing.”
