How is the dressing room after the defeat of Burgos and four games without winning?
With rage. We do many things well, but disconnections and imbalances prevent us from adding up. In these four days we have made many mistakes, two missed penalties, very avoidable goals against… we have to be brave, daring and intense and yesterday and today I enjoyed it because I saw people take a step forward. We need the best version of all the players to achieve permanence.
Is it your most difficult moment on the Racing bench?
No. It was more difficult when I arrived, three points below safety and without having worked with them yet. Now the team is fine, super plugged in, and we are clear about what we have to do in the game plan and what we have stopped doing and because of what the results have changed a little. Effectiveness in both areas, super important, and attacking spaces. The team doesn’t have players who go into space, but I don’t care, we need the players, even if they have an associative profile, to go forward. And that in case of doubt, we run for the rival goal and not for ours, that is what I want and what I have asked of them.
You were angry after the game at El PlantÃo, will there be many changes in the starting eleven?
I am not conservative or changeable, when the team performs you don’t have to touch it much. I like to give continuity, but it is the performance that determines whether or not a player remains in the eleven and this week there will be changes. Evidently. There are players who are not in a good moment and we need to recover their best version. An opportunity is opening up for people who were not entering, hopefully they take advantage of it and can continue, that will be a sign that the team is performing.
You have been testing Juergen as a midfielder for two days, as the season began with Romo, and not as a pivot, are you seriously considering giving him the alternative behind the striker?
Juergen is an exquisite player and good footballers can play anywhere because they understand the game. In training we rotate the players a lot to get information. As a pivot we already know what he does and we wanted to see him in this other position, to be analyzed. It is possible that tomorrow or the day after he can also try on the right, that he can play perfectly because he has already done it in other teams.
Roko Baturina hasn’t scored for many games, does he give you other things that are helping the team?
In these last games it is very difficult to analyze a striker, when we have attacked teams that were defending in very low blocks. It is very difficult for the points to find spaces. There have been games in which Roko has been good and others in which he has been worse. Cedric is pressing, Gassama is better, the minutes that Matheus played in Burgos were very good…, depending on each game, what I always look at are the characteristics and the game plan. Until now we have considered that they were good games for Baturina, on Saturday, we will see. I don’t see him affected by not scoring, I see him as good, in the Second Division it’s very difficult to score goals, that’s why I highly value what the wingers bring to the game. I am happy? No, I’m not happy with what I’ve seen in recent games from the offensive people, not just the center forward…, and I’m talking not only about how they attack, but also how they defend, about their intensity after losses.
What do you expect to find in Albacete?
It is a very effective team. They put out a great performance in the areas, they have two players who have scored a lot of goals and they are a very organized team, which also has legs to press when they lose the ball. I know Rubén Albés well and Albacete is clear about it, it hasn’t changed and it won’t change: in attack they play 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1 and in defense they put Olaetxea between central defenders and awaits you in 5 -4-1. It works very well for him and he is not going to touch it.
