Real Oviedo striker, José Verdú Nicolás, ‘Toché’, appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón following the latest training session for Juan Antonio Anquela’s men.
Before responding to questions from the gathered media in the Press Room, the striker wanted to express condolences for the death of Enrique Castro ‘Quini’ on behalf of Real Oviedo. “I wanted to pass my condolences on to his family, friends, and Sporting de Gijón for the loss of Quini. He was a great person and I admired him as a player. I spoke to him the day we played Sporting and he asked for my shirt. We can feel the loss. People are more important than teams; from fans to football itself. It’s a huge loss and we will miss him. I’d like to send a hug to his family.”
The forward followed this by weighing up the current situation of the team after the matches against Cádiz, Albacete and Zaragoza. “Results haven’t gone our way, and we aren’t going through our best spell. We want to play the next game now and shake off the last match. The most difficult part of the season is now coming, and we need to win games. We need to keep going with the same ideas, because we have a lot at stake.”
Regarding Juan Antonio Anquela’s words following the Zaragoza clash, in which the Coach referred to a lack of technical freshness, the striker argued that, “the team are fine physically and those who play always compete really well. We didn’t have things clear the other day and we lacked a playing style. Some fine technical play by them and luck tipped the match in their favour.”
Asked about the importance of the FC Barcelona B fixture and what a win at the Carlos Tartiere would mean to the team, Toché highlighted that, “victories are what make you improve and grow as a team. We need the win in front of our fans; it is crucial in order to stay up at the top of the league. The team is in a high position, and we aren’t losing sight of our objective.” In addition, with respect to doubts which could surface around the team, the Carbayón player stated that, “the doubts come from outside the camp. We have no doubts in our minds and we are continuing to do the same things. Every match is a battle. We need to replace Saúl this week, and he’s one of our key men, but whoever comes in will do well.”
Finally, speaking on a personal level about his chances of starting in the upcoming matches, Toché admitted that, “I am hungry to play, and I hope I get the opportunity to do so. I work hard every day to help the team, and I will give everything the Coach asks of me,” he concluded.
