“No one expected this situation, but making 19 of 21 points and 7 wins in a row is not easy”
“We will have to suffer, but we have not lost our identity in any game”
BARCELONA, 29 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Girona FC coach, Míchel Sánchez, has assured that the team’s “excitement” about hosting Real Madrid as leaders of LaLiga EA Sports is “very good”, although he believes that they will have to show their best version to overcome, as they did last year, against some whites who were favorites and whose offensive numbers stood out.
“We are good, the hope of playing defending the lead is very good but Real Madrid is a great team. We have to suffer, for sure, and we will see what happens but it is a very complicated game. We have to control the euphoria, and it is true that I have told the locker room that we must control the feeling of being in a positive environment, because we will have to suffer,” Míchel said at a press conference.
“If you do not arrive prepared for this suffering, they can surprise you on the field. The player must know that the intensity, aggressiveness and mentality is very good right now, but at times Madrid will overcome the pressure and we have to make a double effort. Because these players can surpass you one against one. The player must be prepared to suffer twice in the same action,” he argued.
Despite the suffering they need to win, the truth is that the team is a leader and enjoys each of their games. And, now, they are leaders. “After the lead we were already close to playing, I haven’t been able to think much about it. The city and the fans are happy and we are very proud of our players. It will be a match that everyone will be paying attention to and for us it is a luxury that the world keep an eye on us,” he accepted.
For the coach, tomorrow’s game is “very complicated and difficult.” “We always have three aspects in mind: being ourselves, how the players are and the rival. The team always adapts to what the rival offers, and in this case we are talking about one of the best teams in the world and we must think how to counteract their football,” he said.
“Real Madrid does many things well. In terms of data, it is first in many concepts of the game, such as shots on goal, arrivals in zone 3, second in possession. But it is a team that arrives with many players in the rival area, a great team individual level, and it is in driving that he does the most meters. It is difficult to find the keys and analyze a rival at this moment without thinking that we will have to suffer, at times, in the game,” he highlighted about the rival, emphasizing that suffering.
However, he assured that they have a very clear idea of the game. “It is true that Madrid will surely dominate the game at times and we will have to suffer. I am convinced of this, but it is true that we have not lost our identity in any game and I hope that tomorrow will remain the same,” he noted. “The people in the locker room are very good, psyched up and knowing the opponent we have. The people are at a top level of concentration and mentality and desire to play,” he celebrated.
A duel to which Girona arrives as the sole leader of LaLiga after the first seven days. “Nobody expected this situation, it’s true. But scoring 19 out of 21 points is not easy, and neither is achieving seven wins in a row. It’s the merit we have, and that’s it. Madrid is in a great moment, they have only lost one game and It was the derby against Atlético,” he warned. “Tomorrow will be a very nice game, spectacular for our fans and the atmosphere will be spectacular, but we are only playing for 3 points,” he relativized.
Furthermore, last year they won 4-2 and, therefore, they know what to do against the whites, from whom they do not expect any desire for revenge. “Real Madrid goes out to win every game and they are used to playing every three days. Last year we won the game against them, but they always go out to win and I don’t expect an easy Real Madrid, but they have never done anything other than to win,” he explained.
On the other hand, he did not want to evaluate the media campaign in Madrid regarding the arbitration. “The referees are prepared for this noise. But among the fans and the press it generates bad vibes and sometimes lacks sportsmanship. And there can be unpleasant situations off the field of play and I don’t like that. But I think that the referees are not going to be conditioned and I have the feeling that they are prepared for any type of noise. We do not have to condition them from the outside but rather help them from within,” he said.
Regarding the historical fact that, right now, Girona FC is the leader of LaLiga EA Sports and Bàsquet Girona is the leader of the Endesa League, he celebrated it. “Congratulations to Bàsquet Girona for how the Endesa League has started, I would have liked to be there but I couldn’t. These two victories are a joy for the entire city, it seems that we go hand in hand in many historic moments for the city. May “Let’s enjoy the two hobbies, which are linked. The city enjoys great sporting health and it is something very nice,” he celebrated.