Málaga CF’s journey gets underway tomorrow in the 2023/2024 season. Pellicer's team will visit Castalia to face CD Castellón (21:30). The coach stated that “this is a year in which we have to create a boom effect and a very positive atmosphere. We know the demand we have and the shield we represent to meet people's expectations. We want to create a good atmosphere, we want to win and leave happy with the effort. We aspire to everything, but we’re going match by match. We’re playing against a team that was two goals away from being promoted and also tipped to be at the top,” he said.
Although he knows that the first matchdays are a “question for everyone,” he is aware that “they are very important. I hope that the daily training sessions are conveyed on the pitch. Tomorrow's game will mark many things for us to continue improving,” he added.
Pellicer has clear ideas about what he wants from his team: “Since the start of the pre-season we’ve had a very clear idea of what we want. Beyond the outline and the structure in attack and defence, the concepts have to be clear. It’s important to make the right decisions as the collective has to take precedence over the individual. We need to be very clear about all the mechanisms and situations that may arise. When the matches get underway, they are very even, we must be strong on a mental level and deal with whatever small details come up.”
The coach is aware of the importance of playing at La Rosaleda. For this reason, he hopes that tomorrow's performance will be an incentive for the fans to come to the stadium on the next league matchday: “Every match is going to be important, winning helps you to keep winning and increases your self-esteem. Each game is going to be crucial. We are playing away from home against a rival with a very ambitious project. What we do tomorrow will be very important to create a good atmosphere at La Rosaleda. We have to convey this so that the fans are engaged with the situation we’re in.”
Lastly, Pellicer talked about CD Castellón, a team that “has opted for a project and a very clear idea, focused on possession, with a defensive line of three and a determination to play everything in the rival field.” For tomorrow's game, “we need personality to reduce the spaces, take the ball away from them and manage the match. Our idea is to pile the pressure on, but we have to manage the game plan. Those in the starting line-up and the match solutions will be very important, which is what we’re working on. It will be difficult for us to repeat line-ups. Tomorrow is a good test due to the rival's characteristics,” he concluded.
