Reja meets Luis Enrique again: “I won two derbies”

“We have to wait behind our time to attack“, be honest Elseid Hysajcaptain of Albania. “Want to be competitivenot like against England or France in recent years, ”corrects Edoardo Rejahis coach, delighted to visit the RCDE Stadium to face Spaineven if it is a friendly, for the praise he exudes towards his rival and especially towards Luis Enrique. The veteran Italian coach boasts of having defeated his Spanish colleague both times they met, as coach of the Lazio and the Romarespectively.

The National Team and Luis Enrique: “I know Spanish football and I appreciate it because it has always played the ball very well. It has a very specific philosophy. I congratulate Luis Enrique, he has been at a great level for years. We met in Rome, I had more experience and I won two derbies against him. He was young, he had coached Barcelona B and he became a great coach. But above all he is a great person, he deserves all my esteem and admiration”.

More important against Spain, game or result: “The game and the result. We cannot neglect neither one component nor the other. It is clear that we would like to give a good performance in this stadium, not like against England or France in recent years. I want to be competitive. I would like a good match to come out on our part. They are experiences that will help us, fighting against important squads will give us the level, at what point we are. As we play we improve, it’s the path I want to follow”.

physically prepared: “We have to be at our best To compete with the technique and talent of Spain, if you are not up to par, you have to run. We have resistant players, with character, who don’t give up easily”.

Defensive aids, keys: “We don’t want to give the ball to the Spaniards. The result will not depend on possession. We know how Spain plays, which has questioned many rivals. But we will also have weapons such as speed in the offensive phase, or on the wings. We should not leave spaces or work each one on their own. You always have to play as a team, be very compact and not give them space. With their execution speed, they could get us into a lot of trouble.”

The motivation of youngsters like Ferran, Gavi or Pedri: “Young people are normally much more motivated, but they are also very good. I think there will be a very good competition between young players”.

Italy, his native country, out of the World Cup: “We would need a lot of time to analyze why. Yesterday I really saw them as tired, it was not the Italy of the best times. I feel bad because again we will not be in the World Cups. It’s a huge disappointment for everyone.”

North Macedonia: “There are also Albanian players in Macedonia. It is no surprise, we already saw it in the European Championship. He deserves positive results for what he has done so far. They have deserved it. Italy was not up to the task, they barely shot on goal. They had an opportunity and they took advantage of it.”

Hysaj: “We must wait behind”

For his part, the right back of Lazio and captain of Albania, Elseid Hysajagreed that the friendly against Spain will be a fireproof for the defensive system of a team that, yes, is looking forward to playing this match.

Big match: “It is a game that we all want to play. For us it is very important. Spain is a very big team. We hope to give our best and achieve a good result for ourselves, thinking about our future”.

Spain ball circulation: “Spain is one of the best in possession, one of the fastest. We have to wait behind for our moment to attack”.

test for defenders: “It is one of the most difficult, they are very fast. It will be a problem for us.”

Environment: “The atmosphere is very good. We are together and we all want to give our best”.