José Alberto, without asking questions about it, wanted to send a message of solidarity to all those affected by the terrible fire in Sierra Bermeja, which has shocked the entire province. 5,000 hectares razed and a firefighter killed. “I wanted to send a message of encouragement to all the families that are suffering from the fire in Sierra Bermeja and a lot of strength to the professionals who are working to put out the fire and put it out. My condolences to the deceased, from the entire coaching staff, the squad and the entire club. “
Malaga also sent a message of support and encouragement to the residents of the area: “Our thoughts continue with the municipalities affected by the #IFSierraBermeja. All our support to those we defeated and our encouragement to those who fight against the terrible fire.”
And now we go to the game this Sunday against Girona. “We are convinced that the team shows us every day that it defines with quality and determination. I think we have good finishers, not only the forwards but those who join from the second row. Also set pieces. They show it to us every day. Although it is true that we have to be more effective, it is evidence. We are the team that finishes the most and it costs us the goal. We are balanced and we look for the rival goal, generating the maximum possible chances. If we continue in that line we are going to score a lot of goals. And be a solid team. Then it's football and there will be games like the one the other day that we finished off 17 times on goal and his goalkeeper (Fernando, from Almería) is brilliant. In others, with fewer occasions, we will be able to score goals ”.
Can there be changes in attack? “Antoñín can play as a forward perfectly. He's playing good games, regardless of whether the people at the top are not hitting the mark. But if you take the actions of the player, he plays a good game and tries to contribute and add to the team. Then we make the decisions based on what we believe in each game. Many times the changes are not just for performance, but for features. We will try to make the best decisions for the team ”.
Málaga is, with Eibar, the team that finishes the most in Second. There are 21 shots between the three sticks with the rival goalkeepers as heroes. “We are convinced that the goal will come, because we have good finishers. I understand that after a defeat you think more about change and these things, but we are calm because the game in Almería was good despite the result. We are on a good line and closer to winning than losing. We do have things to improve and correct, always looking for the line of being a balanced team that does not delay, always wants to look for a rival goal. We aim to be a brave and daring team.
Cufre, consolidated on the left side. “We have competition in all positions. A difficult task to choose because the players make it very difficult for us on a day-to-day basis. If you were in training, you could see with your own eyes the competition that there is. It is difficult to choose. Luckily, we can get 23. If it were 18 it would be just as difficult. We choose the characteristics of the player that we believe best for each game. In that position there is maximum equality between the players ”.
There may be 15,000 fans at La Rosaleda. “In the two previous games, 6,000 and 7,000 have been able to come and they have pushed a lot and helped the team. I don't want to imagine. Hopefully those 15,000 that have been authorized can be there. That would be very important. You cannot ask the fans for anything, you have to give and so far, the team is giving what the people want. With a great level of intensity and great effort. It is a happy, vertical and aggressive football ”.
How does the dressing room deal with the defeat against Almería ?: “I don't think it affects. We must correct aspects of the previous game. We did a lot of good things in the game and that's the way to go. We have a reliable regularity tone, but throughout the matches there are moments when the team has dropped in level due to concentration, intensity or fatigue. They are directly related factors. Along these lines, we have to maintain the intensity during the 95 or 100 minutes that the matches last. We have to look for round matches. The best we have done in terms of consistency is the one we have won ”(against Alcorcón).
The return of Escassi. “Alberto is a very important player for us both on and off the field. The other day Genaro played a great game in his position. We have variants, possibilities. Now we also recover Jozabed and Ramón, two more possibilities, different from those we had until the previous day. The important thing is to add competition and alternatives ”.
About the homegrown players. “They are part of the process. The one who is able to accept it and give performance will be at the top again. Anyone who is not capable of performing will be more complicated for him to be in the first team. Having few members of the first team during the preseason has given me the chance to get to know all the team's players perfectly. Everyone played and there are three players who have earned being with us, they are Kevin, Roberto and Haitam. They are being players, regardless of the timing, important to us. Our clear bet is on young people.
Girona, a complicated rival that has started with doubts: “He is one of the great hopefuls to fight for the playoffs, but this league is very long. He is in the process of adapting to the new technician and that takes time. But it is a team with a lot of potential, which adapts to any circumstance of the game. They have a strong and solid spine. On the outside they have quality, imbalance and talent, .. And they have references above such as Stuani that we are not going to discover now ”. The Uruguayan, finally, does not travel to Malaga due to an ailment.