Atmosphere at the Estadio ABANCA-Riazor
“They say it’s going to be a sell-out, and that’s great news for the celebration of football. It’s very special to experience something like what we’re going to experience tomorrow, especially in the situation we’re in going into it. The aim is to enjoy the match. Deportivo are one of the strongest teams in the division, and this is perhaps one of the toughest away fixtures of the year. Despite that, we come with the firm intention of playing a great match and being able to show our best version. We’re aware of how difficult the game will be and that Deportivo can operate in different ways: they transition well, they can press you high, and when they win the ball in a mid-block they can really hurt you. They’re also capable of sustaining long spells of possession, and they’ve improved a lot defensively as the season has progressed. From the very beginning they were one of the main contenders to fight for a playoff spot and even the title, and they’re showing why.”
Approach in Andorra
“The next match was still the most important one. We didn’t think about playing different players with tomorrow’s game in mind. The players who featured last time did so because of how close it was to the earlier match. Several of them hadn’t been starting games, but they played because they were in the best condition to begin the match. Once it was over, we stuck to the same plan and moved on to the next one.”
Focus on tomorrow’s game
“We have to focus on our own game and be able to perform at our best level. That’s the most important thing, beyond getting good draws away or at home. We need to put that aside, anything positive will come if we’re able to play a good match, and that’s what we have to concentrate on. We’re going to be up against one of the best teams in the division, and we can’t forget, in their stadium. The real big step up in quality comes from being able to pick up points away from home, imagine doing that in a stadium like La Coruña.”
All matches are equally important
“One thing that has defined us is that we don’t label any match as more important than another. In the first week, people told us the game against Mirandés was crucial because we were fighting relegation with them, you couldn’t lose it and had to get off to a good start. After that, there have been other crucial matches for different reasons. The competition is fair and will place us where we deserve to be. There are fewer and fewer games left, so we’ll approach this one as if it were the last, with the same enthusiasm and desire. It’s a fantastic stage for us to bring out our best version. We know how difficult the match will be, but in situations like this we have to rise to the occasion and compete. We already had one of our best performances in the first meeting, and now they’ll be waiting for us with great motivation, no less than what we have ourselves.”
Player update
“Víctor was coming off a bout of gastroenteritis, which is a bit different from the others. Puga has been improving over the course of the week, having more days to recover works in his favour. The other players have had less time, with matches coming very close together. A period of 12 or 24 hours can end up making the difference in what decisions we can take. They’re still in that recovery process due to how close the fixtures are, so it’s difficult to make firm assessments. Tomorrow, once more time has passed, we’ll make a decision closer to kick-off.”
Two away games in a short space of time
“It’s an unusual situation for us because the games are so close together, and on top of that we have to play both of them away from home. That’s meant we’ve had to prepare the match across two different cities, with everything that entails. We’re not in our usual environment, which makes things more difficult, but it was the best decision. Going back to Málaga would have made preparing for this match much harder. These are just circumstances that come up in a competition. It’s turned out this way, we would have preferred to have both matches in Málaga, but since we can’t control that, we’ve tried to make the most of our time in the best possible conditions, whether in Girona, Andorra, or now in La Coruña. We’re fully focused on what we want to do tomorrow, feeling confident about the game, knowing it’s one of the toughest away fixtures, but also one of the most exciting.”
Heavy demands in a short time
“What we have to assess is whether fatigue will be an issue for tomorrow, because the matches have come very close together. This is the next game, we’ve had one less day than them to recover, and we’ve also had to travel. These are just the realities of the competition, in a sport as ever-changing as football, ideal conditions never really exist. The best conditions are the ones we have right now, and those are the ones we have to compete with. We’re arriving in a very positive moment, and that’s what we need to hold on to in order to come to stadiums like this, face teams like this, and still be able to be ourselves.”
Importance of the previous game
“I want to highlight what happened the other day in Andorra, not the point, because that wasn’t easy. When a player hasn’t been participating much in matches, coming in is a complex task. The only thing that makes it easier is being in an environment surrounded by players who have been regularly playing, that makes everything much simpler. When, due to fatigue from the previous match, several players have to step in with fewer minutes, it becomes much more difficult. It’s not the same for one player to come in and have a great performance alongside 10 others who are in a rhythm of playing many games, as it is when several players have to step in. The match they delivered was very impressive. That was the moment we needed to get through, and we’re very proud of how they played and competed. Now the next match is coming. Ideally, the players who have been playing less would have entered in a situation like some had done previously, but that’s not something we can choose. We’re proud of how they competed because it wasn’t an easy situation for them. The other day was a very tough match, they stepped up, faced the challenge, and took responsibility. Not having that continuity usually prevents players from being at their best, but they performed at a very high level, and we’re very pleased with what we saw.”
Concentration in Gerona
“As coaches, we don’t like having to deal with such constantly changing situations, where so many routines have to be adjusted. Not having enough days to prepare matches is just a reality of football, and you have to face it as such. We’ve spent more time travelling than training, so we focus on making sure the players can recover properly and be ready to take that next step forward.”
Dotor’s condition
“His progress is good, with this type of injury, every day counts. He hasn’t been able to travel with us, but he had been putting in great performances and his recovery is looking positive. We’re talking about an expected absence of several weeks, and we’ll see if next week he can start rejoining the group.”