The coach of UD Las Palmas, Diego Martínez, acknowledged that this week has been "hard" due to the emotional news of the relapse in the disease of the team’s captain, Kirian Rodríguez, who is forced to withdraw temporarily to undergo treatment. The team must recover "as quickly as possible" from this challenging situation.
The Galician coach highlighted the "firmness" shown by the Tenerife footballer in announcing that he has cancer again, after suffering from it in 2022. Martínez showed his support, along with the coaching staff and teammates, who hope to give him a "victory" against Villarreal. He described Kirian as an "irreplaceable" player who is "admired, dear, and respected by all" and must be a source of inspiration for the rest.
Martínez emphasized that "We care about a thousand things in life, and the most important thing is health." He believes that now, with Kirian’s absence on the field, the team must "find other paths, other solutions" and some players will have to "take a step forward." He cited the French midfielder Enzo Loiodice as an example, who made a significant contribution despite the defeat against Girona.
A Challenging Opponent Ahead
The team is facing another challenge with the upcoming game against Villarreal, who is "one of the top scorers" in the championship and in a moment of tremendous efficiency. The island team has limited recovery time due to a long return trip from the previous game, making it even more difficult to measure forces with Villarreal.
The Galician coach regretted that the team is "living many obstacles lately" such as injuries, sanctions, or the captain’s disease. However, he believes that all these challenges will make them "stronger" and they will overcome them. He admitted that the problems have concentrated in the center of the field but celebrated the "good game" of Loiodice and the premiere of Stefan Bajcetic, who also offered a "good performance."
Martínez avoided assessing whether the squad needs more reinforcements to achieve the objective of permanence at the end of the season. Instead, he stated, "We are the ones who are and those who are going to get this forward." This shows his confidence in the current team and their ability to overcome the challenges they are facing.
We care about a thousand things in life, and the most important thing is health
We are the ones who are and those who are going to get this forward