“Luckily, we have been able to experience very important games in short periods of time”
MADRID, 17 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of FC Barcelona Femení, Jonatan Giráldez, has stated that the final of the Queen’s Cup, scheduled for this Saturday against Real Sociedad at the La Romareda Stadium (Zaragoza), “will be a totally different match from the one in the next week”, in reference to the Champions League final against Olympique Lyon.
“The preparation for the match throughout the week, not only at the game level or at the tactical level, but also at the level of how we must manage it on an emotional level, has only been focused on Real Sociedad. This is the reality. It will be a totally different game from next week and we will have time starting Monday to see how we want to prepare for the next final,” Giráldez declared this Friday during the press conference prior to the cup final.
“Because of how we have trained this week and how I have seen the team, I am not seeing relaxation at all; quite the opposite, there is a lot of hunger, there is a lot of desire to compete, there is a lot of desire to win titles and a lot of desire to continue giving joy to our fans,” he said.
“I have seen a sensational week, a week where Mapi [León] “She has also joined the team to take part in the training sessions and I think it is something historic because for the first time we have had 26 players available in training, the entire squad,” added the Blaugrana coach.
“At the moment in which we are in the season, having all the players and that they can be together, because of the harmony and the communion that I am seeing between the most common and the least common, I see a lot of concentration, a lot of desire and a lot of ambition to be able to win the title. If we have something, it is that we are a very very competitive team and we are not at all confident that we are going to win without going out on the field,” Giráldez warned.
Then he analyzed Ona Batlle: “She can play in two positions, on the right and left, sometimes starting a little lower and sometimes having more responsibility, playing a role as a winger. It is true that Frido’s return [Rolfö] It has given us more options. It is not the same to play with a right foot as with a left foot on the left wing, especially in what has to do with our offensive side. “On a defensive level they are two very similar players, but on an offensive level they give you different things.”
“Having versatile players who can adapt to different positions is a necessary asset to prepare for matches and even make decisions during the match without the need to make changes, as we have already done many times. Therefore, the fact of having all available and especially to the two of them, what it gives me are more options to be able to prepare for the match and change the course if I consider it necessary,” Giráldez argued.
“It is true that we have tried different things: defending too high, defending a little closer to the goal, having position phases that are a little more direct, sometimes more elaborate, etc. One of the main evolutions we have had is the ability to adaptation that we have during the games depending on the needs,” he stressed.
“It does matter what the opponent’s approach is because the spaces will be in one area or another. What we have done is prepare ourselves based on the experience we have from all the games against them, the possibilities that there will be during the game, how We have to identify the spaces, the advantages within the game and of course the defensive proposal we have,” he added.
Furthermore, he talked about his routine. “I don’t like to do exceptional things, neither during the week’s preparation nor on game day. I like to follow my routines on a day-to-day basis because it is what prevails the most, what concentrates me the most for the game. But yes, obviously the fact of having family close is always a plus because, when you can experience emotional things, if they are shared… then much better,” Giráldez stressed.
“Many times we have been told that we have to win. But we do not normalize things and I think neither do the players. We have experienced situations of celebration this season and I am very grateful to them and to the entire team for how we have celebrated it” , he warned.
The culé coach avoided the appointment against Olympique de Lyon. “The fact of having another final is just as important or more important than the previous ones, because what is most difficult in football is to stay. When you are in it, everyone wants to beat you, and we have shown a very good performance in recent seasons. Well, tomorrow what we have to do is face the game with enough humility to understand that football means deserving to win the game, create more chances than them, score more goals and lift the Cup,” he repeated.
“THANKY, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXPERIENCE VERY IMPORTANT MATCHES IN SHORT PERIODS OF TIME”
“Luckily, we have been able to experience very important matches in short periods of time. I already explained it before, I don’t like to do exceptional things when we play finals. I think that, from the point of view of preparation, at the game level during the week It has to be one more week understanding that there are contents in offensive and defensive and set-piece training, that you have to decide what to do, how to explain it or what is shown to the players, but not doing exceptional things,” Giráldez insisted.
“Where I do believe that there is a slightly larger intervention and something different is at the emotional level, at the level of discourse, where we have to pay attention. And the attention is that today we have to do good training, we do it in a different context to the Joan Gamper Sports City, but it depends solely on us that today’s training is perfect,” explained the Barça coach.
On the other hand, he gave his opinion about the atmosphere in La Romareda. “Obviously when you have the possibility of being in your city, surely with a lot of family, friends, they are more special moments. The fact of being able to share with your people and if you have the option of playing in your homeland, it is a plus of motivation, it is an added happiness. Obviously we are all very excited to play this game, but when you belong to the city, surely the emotional factor is something to take into account, and so much for Mapi. [León] as for Salma [Paralluelo] I’m sure it’s very special,” he said.
“But for everyone it is an important match. Irene [Peredes] It’s okay, she is very motivated to play against Real Sociedad. And she will have that special point; but well, what she said before, like the whole team. We are very excited about this final. Last year we couldn’t win it, so we really want to be able to win this title this year. The team is focused, it is confident that tomorrow we have to play a perfect game if we want to have a chance of winning the title and being able to share it with all our people,” he highlighted.
About his opponent, he had praise. “When you see Real Sociedad play, you recognize there are certain patterns, certain behaviors of the game that are always similar in a team that tries to take care of the ball, in a team that normally tries to defend forward, in a team that is quite electric because it has players in the last line with quality and also from the conditional point of view to run. He more than deserved to qualify for the final,” he praised.
“It is true that they are not having a regular season in the League like the previous ones, but I think that is a factor that should not be taken into account when playing this final because it is a motivation to play a single match against a team like Barça , where anything can happen,” Giráldez concluded in his press conference.