MADRID, 30 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Rayo Vallecano coach, Francisco Rodríguez, does not forget that the tough 0-7 home defeat against Atlético de Madrid did them “a lot of damage”, but that that match is already “corrected and analyzed” ahead of the visit of this Wednesday at Cívitas Metropolitano against “a very powerful rival now” and against whom they hope to play “a long game” to have their options.
“That match did us a lot of damage, there were 7 goals and we said afterwards that it was already done, not forgotten, but corrected and analyzed. Now it is different, it is a team also at home that is very strong, that we are seeing it continuously, but It is a new opportunity to compete one hundred percent and try to get something good, knowing the difficulty it has,” Francisco said this Tuesday at a press conference.
The Rayista coach knows that Atlético “is a very powerful team now, not only because of the level of players it has, but because it proposes a game that is truly one of the best in the League right now” and that is why he hopes to perform at a defensive level last Saturday against Real Sociedad. “It strengthens me in the sense that we are prepared to compete with any team and that, logically, by keeping a clean sheet we will have many more possibilities. That we need goals is evident, but in the end this team is competitive as it was in San Sebastián “he warned.
“At the Metropolitano we have to believe in ourselves too. We are going to a difficult field and against a team that is at a very high level right now, that is playing against them in every home game. It is important to have a lot of defensive balance and then use our weapons to harm Atlético,” Francisco stressed.
The coach from Almeria explained that the Colchonero team “controls the scores in its favor very well” and that it was demonstrated in the tough 0-7 draw in Vallecas. “They are a team that takes the lead and occupies the spaces very well, they have enormous quality in the transition and they are one of the best teams in Europe and the world defensively. It is important to maintain that balance and try to play a long game, stay alive and have other options. We are going to try to make the plan work well so we can get something positive,” he said.
Furthermore, he was “convinced” that this match is one “more” and in which “the points are worth the same” as those next Monday against Sevilla in Vallecas, so he will line up those he considers “the best to play this match.” game”. “Many did not think that we were going to get something positive against Real and we did, so knowing the difficulty they have, we are going to put out the best possible team to try to get a positive result,” he admitted.
The coach of the Vallecano team knows that above all they need more aim. “The statistics say that we are the team in the last ten classified that shoots the most on goal, however we are not being effective and we are paying for this not only in goals but in points. I continue to trust, I have no other choice, in the end they are the players we have, who are good, and what we need is to have a good dynamic of goals so that we add more points and not vary much what we are doing,” he indicated.
In this sense, he was asked about the situation of forward Raúl de Tomás, without much participation and who could appear in this winter market that closes this week. “At the moment I am counting on him for tomorrow. Raúl and I have had many conversations throughout the season, we have been six months and there have been many times in which I have spoken with him, he with me too because he is a guy who also who is going ahead, just like me, and we have mutually expressed what we think about each other's situation,” he remarked.
“He also has to show and for me it is important that he shows on the field and on a daily basis, but he will have to be the one to explain this situation. I am very clear that I count on him to play and whatever has to happen out of his mouth because I prefer him to come out,” he added of the attacker.
Finally, Francisco remarked that “there will be an incorporation before closing the market and possibly some departure as well” and congratulated that Bebe continues to advance with Cape Verde in the Africa Cup, unlike Pathe Ciss, already eliminated with Senegal. “We are trying to get him to travel to see if he can be with us, but it is going to be difficult,” he said.