Pellicer: “Hopefully we will be the surprise of the season”

Sergio Pellicer participated this Monday in the program Malaguista Area of ​​101 TV. The coach of Málaga gave an extensive interview and took stock of his year at the helm of the blue and white first team, praised the work of Manolo Gaspar and the commitment and soul of his players and did not rule out the possibility of finishing the championship fighting among the best of Second. “Hopefully we will be the surprise of the season, but you have to be realistic: it costs a lot, “he said. His renewal, of course, was also on the table: “We have to focus on the goal and later talk”.

Several stages in his year leading the team: “Before this nightmare occurred that is still with us, the team was flying. You saw it train and it was liberated. I don't know what would have happened, it flowed. We went with the same idea, the egos had been forgotten. After the pandemic, it changed. Everything, Luis Hernández's injury, sanctions, more injuries. It cost us. We competed at a good level, but there were games in which we were weighed down to suffer and save the category. You have to look at Deportivo's mirror, he came to La Rosaleda that seemed that he is totally saved and look what happened to him. It was an enormous merit to achieve it. This year, from when everything was closed, there is a new team, with great work from the sports management, now we are in the process. In the second back you have to improve certain aspects “.

Team involvement: “The group of players, on a professional and human level, is a group that has a soul, that believes. It has an energy that helps us find in the moments when fuel is weak, there the soul appears. Except for Lombán, Benkhemassa and the subsidiaries , It is a new team. The work has been impeccable in the sports direction. We need to improve the regularity at home, the entry into the matches in the second half, the defensive issue, actions in attack … we need to improve everything. Despite this, the team has a DNA and a DNI. Its hallmarks are work, commitment and solidarity. That is the way to achieve the objectives “.

Ambitious speech: “We have the ambition. We know the difficulty, we must be aware of reality, but that does not prevent us from being ambitious. The second round is complicated, there are many uncontrollable circumstances: injuries, pandemic and other situations in which the state of form of the players … there are teams that are going to be strengthened, others that are seen with few points, now they will do more. We will try not to think further. Think about the day to day, at work, about adding and achieving objectives. All three points in each game and from there we will see the last 12 days where we can work and where we can fight. Last year there were situations of teams with a very calm first round that were promoted and others that were in a situation without looking up or down and then they went up, like Elche. That tells us what the category is. Ambitious but without pressure on the players, work daily and continue. When we achieve the first objective, we must look to the maximum. There is no co nformism on the part of no one. “

Playoff: “It is a tremendously complicated category. Every game it seems that the opponent is not in the game and in a transition or set pieces he gets into the game and changes everything. We cannot look at the future much, it is very repetitive, but we have lived so many things … We have to remember the past to prevent the future, we only have work, work and work left. We have to fight for the maximum, but talking about the playoff now does not touch. What we have to do is talking about Ponferradina. “

Ascent: “It is the dream for everyone. I could retire. It would be the illusion as a group to do something, especially for the attitude. I tell them that what they are generating beyond the points and that we cannot have the fans with us , but what they transfer us is because the team has an attitude. That is non-negotiable now. The promotion would be something incredible that I hope that in the not too distant future we will be able to access it. If I could be there, it would be the best information that Malaga is going good”.

Are you looking at sixth place or nineteenth ?: “I look at the two places above and the two places below. It is true because a victory puts us in a more comfortable situation and a defeat can be three or four places. Each game, adding is … This year the category is different from last year, especially because of the ocean liners that are Espanyol and Mallorca, not like last year when Cádiz and Huesca fought direct promotion until there were two days left. This year there seems to be a difference but also There will be surprises. Hopefully we will be the surprise, but the message to send is realistic: it costs a lot. Every day of training, when I finish and no player is injured is for me the best thing that can happen to me. We are on a wire, with sanctions, injuries … It is a sinvivir, at heart. The players are the jewels of the team, that is why I am very tough and not contemplative in other aspects. They are the protagonists and you have to keep them plugged in so that individual performance serves the collective “.

His best moment in the year that he has led Málaga: “My best moment is every day that I step on La Rosaleda. Every day that I go to train is the best moment. At the level of matches, there are important moments. Carranza's party, which was the leader, we in a difficult situation, with internal noise … That week was tremendously hard and the team competed at a great level. This year Castellón's victory was very important because of everything that was being talked about and because of what was happening. They gave us zero points in the first four days and for everything. What was happening was very important. The day to day, the people, the club, training, is a dream. We work as if there were no tomorrow. The players have to feel privileged to be here at Malaga. That is the way, come together with Malaga, not them and Malaga not “.

The casualties that he regrets the most for the ERE: “Miguel Zambrana Sr. is an institution. As a player it would be unfair. Adrián was very important on a daily basis, on a personal and professional level. From what people don't see. From many I have received and sent messages. Hard moments unite. In soccer, each one has a path that you can join later, soccer is a ball that spins and spins. You always have to be clear and transparent. The important thing for a player is that they never cheat on you, the truth hurts at the moment But in the long run they thank you. It is what we try, to be close and demanding, to get the most out of it, but in addition to the player there are people, like all human beings. “

Renewal: “The coaches have a difficult time. I arrived and was a newcomer and now I am the third who has been the longest. With Pellicer, Malaga will not have any problems. Manolo and José María know it, we know the situation of the club. What we have to do is focus on the goal and later talk. We have to be very aware, realistic. I come from home, they often say low profile, because I correspond with humility and work. What we seek, above all, that the most important thing is the club. With my contract there are no problems neither for one thing nor for another “.

Does Pellicer have red lines ?: “No, in the end the red line does not exist with me. The club is very fortunate to have Manolo Gaspar. In addition to the capacity it has, the club hurts. It hurts in the soul. It will depend on me, on the players and results. The club can also change course. I don't think about that, I focus on training and on a day-to-day basis. “

Would you understand that Málaga decided not to renew him ?: “I understand everything. You cannot imagine the things that I have understood. I have it very clear, when in a few years, when we can sit down and talk, we will be able to write a book. Faced with problems, solutions must be sought. The Pellicer-Málaga issue It will not be a problem, it will be addressed as clearly as possible. I feel a lot of heat, it is true that we cannot notice the heat of the people because we live in a bubble now, but until Sunday an anecdote happened: I went to speak with the referee Del Cerro Great and he congratulated us. Outside sometimes what is inside is valued much more, but not the coach, but the club and everything that is being done. “

Changes from last season to this: “What has changed the most is the management of uncertainty, of everything that is generated outside, of media noise. On a daily basis we try to evolve, look for different registers, game models, transfers from training to matches. This year we have varied various situations of the game system, but depending on what we see in the day-to-day work, the player profile and the one who is better. We do not have a model like Barcelona or Madrid. They have the same plan for prepare each game. We have to have different plans beyond the one we like to push, be vertical, make very fast transitions … Many situations that we are adjusting. Day by day we have evolved. What changes the most is the management of uncertainty and of the group. In the end the players are people at any level. The most difficult thing to control is the ego, at the level of training and emotional management of the group. “

Differences of opinion with Manolo Gaspar ?: “The best thing to grow is that there may be differences in criteria, but I think that 85% of us agree. I have a match thermometer: the match ends and Manolo comes down to the locker room, we talk and when we talk I have a very clear thermometer of the feeling of the match. We are soccer people, each one has his place. There were many coaches who skipped the sports director and spoke with the property, you have to have an order and it is what it is. We have a very fluid relationship, we are Malaguistas and we look for the best for the club. Many times someone from outside or with a more media name is valued, but we think that the coach is not there to show off, he is in the shade to work and gets the best performance “.

Winter market with almost no movements: “A super-calm market, the calmest there is. You know the limit of chips, we talked to Manolo and he said it, to be able to fight one more chip that would be to make a player from the subsidiary who is constantly with us. We have Ramón, Ismael, Cristo, Hicham and now several more than we count as first team players. Hopefully, but it seems to be difficult and penalizes us. “

Have there been offers for any Málaga player ?: “That has to be decided by Manolo Gaspar, I will not go in there. I think the whole group is happy to be there and want to fight for the objectives to improve the club. If there is any player who is not happy or who thinks he has to have more minutes, talk to Manolo and it will be solved. No one is essential. No one is above another. Above all, collective performance. A game can be won by the player but the goal is achieved by the team. “

Orlando Sá is still far from his best level: “Last year he barely competed, he has had a preseason with problems, discomfort. Since the week he played against Alcorcón he had another week with discomfort and now is when he is feeling better. He is a totally different player from Chavarría and Caye. He needs to be there. in the area, in the rival field. Yesterday we had a game plan and we had planned that Chavarría and Caye would play in the second half. It is a very specific player profile. You need to have people close by, you need to continue working, assume their characteristics and from There it will give us better moments than now. Without pressure, everything changes for the forwards in a split second. “

Important role of the quarry: “Everyone's daily growth. I consider myself tough with them but I also put myself in their place, I try to be delicate. I'm there. I try to convey to them how difficult it is to be able to stay at the first level. From then on, I am most proud of It is about seeing young people who go from the youth or from Malagueño to the first team and train at that speed and decision-making and you see that they compete. We don't put up walls, I have learned that in the end when one has aptitudes, attitude and hunger and then talent… We have talent and we cannot put walls on talent “.

Do you keep in touch with some youth players who passed through your hands and today are triumphing in other clubs ?: “When a footballer grows up they forget things. I don't train them to send me a message at Christmas, I train them to improve. I don't want to be friends with the players. The obstacles we put on them are so that they improve. Sometimes I am tremendously hard, but when they are wrong, as it happened to me that I was wrong and had to leave Valencia, you have to have empathy and seek improvement. Their environments already tell them how good they are. It costs a lot to maintain a competitive regularity. I could make an eleven of homegrown players from all the teams I've been on and top-level players who aimed higher. “

Academy: “Without facilities it is somewhat complicated. The other day, with Manolo, we had a meeting with all the technicians from the quarry and I came back seven years ago when I arrived and they still have the same problems. It is true that situations are solved every time, but imagine , having a sports city, the feeling of belonging that it generates and the quality of the training sessions. Let's see if we soon have the sports city, it would improve the quality of training. “

Your request for this year: “Improving the training facilities, incorporating someone in the coaching staff to help us on a day-to-day basis, continuing to count on people from Malaga and inspiring people with a competitive team that can fight and seek higher goals. It would be the best thing to do. for everyone. The most important thing is to work being happy transmitting as one wants. To work with passion, that always transmits “.