Real Oviedo Head Coach Javi Rozada appeared in the Press Room this morning, following the team's final training session in Oviedo ahead of the trip to Girona.
The Coach began by analysing the state of the team, with everybody available except Edu Cortina. He also welcomed the arrival of Rodri Ríos, who joined up with training for the first time this morning. "We will pick a matchday squad catering for the Rodri issue. The club is working well on it, but we leave here early tomorrow. We are excited, because I think we go into the match in good shape. We are focused on winning in Girona. We have gone five games without winning, but I believe that the team has deserved much more than it's got, and that it has done a lot of things well. I think football evens itself out at the end of the season. The team mustn't drop its standards, because then we'd have no chance." As the Coach awaits news from the club on whether Rodri will be registered in time for the match, 19 players could travel to Girona. Saúl Berjón is highly likely to be amongst them, with the Coach explaining that "he is doing better and better. We'll decide whether he can start or not. It's a difficult match, because we are going to a ground where a lot is asked of you. He's got a chance of coming in, but it depends on what the match calls for."
With respect to the latest addition, Rozada said that "Rodri has a great ability to work hard and sacrifice himself for the team. He gives us the opportunity to play with two strikers, and he will give us another option by getting in behind. We have wingers who put a lot of crosses in, and he plays on the shoulder of the last man. We now have three strikers, and we can play with two. In the area we can now do a lot more things."
Asked about the poor run of form and his future, the Coach was clear that "I feel I have the trust of the club and of the players. I am focused on Girona; that's what I have to focus on. What we have to do is win matches, because we are in a very uncomfortable position and we have to get out of it. Three points at a time. We have to compete how we have been competing away from home, because the victory will come."
Discussing the squad, Rozada declared himself "very happy. Three arrivals before the 25th January says a lot about the work Arnau has done, and they are all for the first team. I'm delighted with his work. I am focusing on the pitch; that's what I have to do."
Talking about the opponent, the Real Oviedo Coach said that "they're not doing great because they are finding it hard away from home, but player-wise they might be the best team in the division. They are much stronger at home than away. They play a lot of the match in the opposition's half. The wing backs get forward. They have a lot of strengths. We are going to have to play very well and maintain the identity we have been showing away from home. We need to try to make the most of our stronger passages of the game. As they get forward well, they also let you play. We have to manage the game very well. We have to break when we win the ball, and then we can do them damage. That's what Mirandés and other teams did at Montilivi."
The Coach doesn't have his line-up clear yet, and said "we worked on a lot of things this week. We will adjust according to how everything goes. I think the team is ready and any eleven must compete. We will have a good first eleven and good options on the bench, which is important."
