There is hardly any time to think, they arrive from Ponferrada and they are already thinking about the next match, Mirandés.
So is. We returned on charter, recovery and prior. There is no time for more.
This rhythm will be better for the moment they live.
It is true. We are very happy, at a great level, all very plugged in. There are rotations, we are all performing at a high level and we must take advantage of it.
They are one of the fittest teams in the category.
This league has always been competitive and it is very difficult to score, more at this point. Things were done well in the confinement, with great predisposition for the new coaching staff. The work has gone from less to more, with very good preparation and that carries over to the matches and to the good results, with everyone plugged in and eager.
If changing technicians is normally difficult, what is it like to do it right during a confinement?
I think we had two sessions before with Sandoval. Actually during the confinement, much progress was made in the relationship with the technical staff with daily video call sessions. A good bond was forged there. From the first day they were very open and very close and this group, if not the best on a human level, is one of the best I've ever been to. Workers, humble …
When it comes to tactics, what were those video calls like?
Being the first contact, we tried to do everything in a very general way based on the game philosophy and the idea that was sought. What the style was going to be like and what they wanted from each line. Everything at a general level, so that we are not always connected or saturated in that sense. Later, each one if he needed clarification or had doubts, you could call and receive all kinds of information and material, about rivals even. We take great advantage of it.
In particular, how did you organize yourself?
Well before the confinement I was getting all the material possible. For a long time, I already like to work on my own, I already had a routine, so it has not been difficult in that sense. I knew what equipment I was going to need and I set up a gym at home as I could, using materials from the house, chairs, furniture … We worked with what they sent us and in a video call all together. I, also, also on my own a plus. Then when you return to the field everything is very different. You even have shoelaces and you thought you were very good. But running on the field and behind a ball is not the same.
And how does that recover: the feeling and touch of the ball?
They tell you to try to touch it at home, give it touches, but it is not the same. It is what costs the most on the way back. You lose touch. At first it costs you until you make a control, it seems that the ball is square, but it is true that it is what you recover the fastest. At home, you almost reduced everything to physical work.
They went to the break with 13 days in a row without winning and now they have a single loss in six games, what has been the key to the change?
The work remains the same, it is a very humble and sacrificed group. We came from a bad streak that, in a competition as hard and difficult as this, makes you enter the field thinking in your subconscious that it will be very difficult to win. It is difficult to change that dynamic. But on the way back, with those immense desire you have, and just for being able to touch a ball … In addition, the new air that has been given by the coaching staff, which must be asserted. Another game philosophy, another mentality … All players are being given more prominence with rotations. All this is making it play well and compete well. This team always competed well, but also goals are being made and matches are being won. We did not go crazy when we were seconds, or now with 50 points.
Another secret is that they have only conceded two goals in six games.
They are doing things very well with the ball and when you take it away from the opponent, less damage can be done to you. This team has always been characterized by defending very well, if we also have more options with the ball, then more difficulty for the rival. We are a seasoned team, which makes the rival suffer a lot. It's hard to score a goal.
What has Sandoval contributed?
I did not know him, I had colleagues who had had him. I had an idea of him for them. And it is what has ended up being. He is a very passionate man, who plays with the footballer's emotions. It gives you a lot of confidence, a lot of freedom, it makes you not afraid to fail and trust you. Then he is very hard-working, he demands a lot from you. This team has come to the finger, because it is a very hard-working and very receptive group. Everything that has wanted to change or vary depending on the rivals is being adopted. Another thing to note is that he knows how to transfer the idea to us to assimilate it well. Sandoval gets people who played fewer minutes to go to the field without the anxiety of wanting to do everything right. It tells you not to worry that you are going to keep counting. We have all had options and that tranquility greatly alleviates the player.
You arrived in the summer, what group did you meet?
From the first moment I received the wardrobe very well. Even level players like Chico Flores or Oriol, who have an incredible career, are the first to open your arms to you. From them to the youngest and is what stands out the most in this team. Here everyone leaves their skin for each other. At first I arrived and there was a structure that worked. I entered little by little and the team worked very well, I kept myself prepared to take advantage of all the opportunities. And I am very happy with what we are experiencing.
He came from Sweden, before he lived a peculiar situation in the Ray, where he could not play due to a foreign issue.
I left the tour with Madrid to go to Rayo, due to a series of extra-sports circumstances they could not make me a tab and in February I managed to leave. But only the minor league markets were open and I came out with Sweden, which is a cool destination. The experience with Eskilstuna was very good. The league was competitive, we reached the Cup final, too bad we couldn't win it. I came back very happy. I lived another culture, another food. It was curious to live days when there was hardly any night. At two o'clock in the morning it was dawn at that time when I was there.
In Rayo, despite what he had to live, they always highlighted his attitude. Starting with Michel.
I believe in work and had to do it for myself. To be in the best conditions when competing. The colleagues were great to me and the staff, I have no complaints. I didn't want to give them any problems, because they were not to blame and I worked with great players every day.
He spent 15 years in Madrid, being captain in almost all categories.
I owe them everything because that's where I trained. From the age of eight I was until Castilla. I had to be a captain in most categories, I grew up there and learned the values of the professional world.
It has happened to Madrid like Fuenlabrada, after confinement …
Yes, they are strong. They are all very plugged in. They have recovered Hazard and Asensio, which is very important. It will give you many options. They are strong, they all look like headlines and so they are difficult to stop. They have the league on track, but not done. Barcelona is going through a rut, but they cannot relax.
Fuenla has 50 points. And now that? What is the OBJETIVE?
From the first day there was a fight for permanence. We had a good streak, we got second, and the goal was still permanence. Then it was the other way round and the goal was the same. And, to this day, two points from the playoff, the objective remains to maintain the category. We don't go crazy, with 50 points they say it's done. We are happy, but we have our feet on the ground and we go with humility to Mirandés. We do not look at a specific position. The only objective that there has been is permanence.
The Mirandés arrives in a line opposite to his.
Mirandés is a team that I like. It has great players, who compete and play well. It was a bit of a surprise that was not available. They have had a bad streak, but they are still the team they are. If this league is characterized by something, it is that anyone can beat you. We have to face it one hundred percent concentrated.
Does it cost at home without feeling the public?
At first I missed, but now we are used to it. In the end the public enriches soccer. Even in a rival field, even if they pressure you, but it is appreciated because it motivates you. Now we are used to it, it does not condition when playing. The most important thing is people's health. When we get through all of this and you can come, it will be wonderful. What we do we do because we feel your support, also from home.