Real Oviedo Head Coach, Juan Antonio Anquela, appeared in the Press Room this morning following the team’s training session at El Requexón.

The Coach began by declaring that, “we are all ready, although we have one last training session tomorrow. We are still saying the same things, and we’ve analysed why our last opponent was better than us. It’s something I’ve said many times: defeats make you think.”

The message that the Real Oviedo Coach is trying to transmit “is the same one I try to get through to the players. I bang on about it every day and repeat the same thing. We have got to where we are now by suffering. At some moments we have played well, but the important thing is that the team knows what it’s limitations and weaknesses are. It’s easy to forget about that.”

Speaking about the remaining matches, Anquela insisted that, “I am only looking at Soria. We have to overcome all of the negativity that there is, even if it is normal with recent results. We need to push forward and only think about this fixture, because it is a very difficult ground to go to. They always have a good team because they compete and know what they are about. It’s a tough ground to go to, as they all are in this division. They are ahead of us, and it’s for a reason. They are a very professional, organised, direct team, who play good football. Numancia have everything you need to be up there, like they are now. They are worthy of their position.”

Anquela refused to talk about ‘finals’, instead focusing solely on this Sunday’s match in Soria. “We mustn’t analyse it; we just have to win matches. All I know is that we are going to Soria and we will have to compete and suffer a lot if we want to achieve something. After that, we will look towards the next game. I really want us to pick up the same results as we did in the first round of fixtures, but it’s going to be very difficult. We will try. We need to stay calm because we are on track. I’m not going to stop trusting and believing in my team. We are going to fight until the last second, or at the very least I am. I am just as excited as I was on the first day here. And I feel I have even more responsibility having got to know these fans and this city. I am still preparing every match and every training session with the same hunger and energy. I just try to make sure my team know the path every single day. When we have done it so far, we have competed and won. If you don’t play well, you don’t even draw. And playing well involves many things. I am with these lads to  the death, and if they follow me then I am sure we will be on the right track.”

With respect to the enforced change caused by Forlín’s suspension, Anquela commented that, “I’ve said many times that I want a team to play in ‘Héctor Verdés’-style. I’ve always been looking for that in my team. He is an intense player who would give his life for the team. The more warriors I find like that, the better. That doesn’t mean I don’t want us to play good football. We can’t all be ‘artists’; there are some people who have to do the other jobs.”

Finally, speaking about the backing the team will receive from the fans once more at Los Pajaritos, Anquela reiterated that, “they are still performing at a higher level than us. They booed us the other day, and they were completely right to. They go from excitement to disappointment in no time because they follow their hearts. They don’t support just any team; they are Real Oviedo fans. You can only have respect and huge admiration for them,” he concluded.