“With desire and enthusiasm” Imanol Alguacil starts his fourth project at the head of Real. Orio’s coach has had good vibes since the opening day of preseason. He celebrates the signings of Cho and Brais, warns that more could come if the “opportunity” arises and makes it clear that the squad will be lightened with departures.
The challenge of remaining among the best in the League is as great as the meaning of a hypothetical fourth classification in a row for Europe. “It is what we wanted, what we have always wanted, so we are not going to complain,” says Imanol about whether the bar is very high. “There is no other way than to continue, working from day one.”
La Real gets underway with 31 troops in the first official session of the preseason. “There are many of us,” Alguacil points out. There are transferables in the group and “surely we won’t all be in it soon”, reveals the coach. The vast majority of those who exercised in Anoeta will continue and the Oriotarra “yes” trusts that there will be no surprises during the market and the stars will not move. The club, in the same vein, transmits optimism. Imanol clarifies that “I have been with some for almost nine years” and is not afraid of possible wear and tear: “For me it is simple: maximum demand and common sense”.
“We were big before”
Imanol seems happy with Cho and Brais Méndez, the two signings who are at his disposal from day one. “If we have signed them it is because they are good”. The coach highlighted of the young Frenchman that, “obviously”, some of his characteristics are “strength and power”. He believes that of Orio that Cho “can give us interesting things” because “for being so young, he adapts and understands football very well.” He sums up that he “can give us interesting things”. Brais “is going to adapt very quickly and well because Celta’s style is not very different from ours and he will give us performance from day one,” Alguacil emphasizes about the newly arrived Galician attacker.
Cho and Brais reinforce Real, but Imanol claims that “we were already great before”. Now, the intention is to become “more competitive if possible” and he warns that “if there are opportunities, we want to improve”, without ruling out more arrivals. “The weeks of the Cup and Europe are very demanding and we want to have the best possible squad,” argues Imanol.
Sheriff reviewed the status of the injured. Oyarzabal is “fine”, but “these are complex injuries” that “the first few months evolve very well and then we will have to see. We have to be careful, hopefully he will return for many years”. With Barrenetxea “we will have to be careful” and he anticipates that “we are going to dose him, he is not going to start like the rest”. Carlos Fernández has overcome these processes. “The knee is fully recovered” and the idea is for him to train “properly” with the rest of the group.
The last season begins with a valid contract for Imanol, a circumstance that does not keep him awake at night. “I’ll have to earn the renewal,” he says jokingly. “I want a fourth year that is just as successful” and his motto says that it is based on “enthusiasm, demand and continuity. It is what we have achieved in recent years and we want to maintain it”.