Real Oviedo Head Coach José Ángel Ziganda appeared before the media this morning ahead of the Girona match and discussed the current state of the team, individual players, and specific situations.
Regarding Luismi's condition, Ziganda said that he is doing "better than we expected. He was able to train for almost the whole session yesterday. We are judging the tempo and between now and Sunday we will decide whether he will play." He was also asked about Brugman and who he would play best alongside in the centre of the field. "We will see how it goes. His chances of starting will depend on the players he would be playing next to. He's very good technically and links up well with his teammates. He came in as a defensive midfielder and in theory that is his position, but it is not the same playing alongside Javi Mier as next to Luismi or Jimmy. According to his partner, he could have more freedom or more obligations."
Asked about important players who are not getting many minutes, such as Arribas, Mossa and Christian, Ziganda explained how he feels. "They are looking good, both on a personal and on a footballing level. They are setting a great example to all the new lads and the youngsters. They are giving them all a master class in terms of the way of training, being respectful, and not gifting anything. They are demonstrating that they want to play and that they are ready for the opportunities that they may get. I was very clear that I wanted to have them available and they are proving very important to us in the growth of some of the new lads. The squad, as they say, is not about eleven players, but about 23. I have no doubt that they will make the most of their opportunities."
With respect to the role of the substitutes used in Ibiza, the Coach stated that "it's important to be vindicated. They have to repeat those performances to prove that they are ready. It's not about just one day, but about every training session and picking up form and fitness. Their performances were very good in the sense that they increase competition, as the others see people getting up to spèed." The Gaffer also commented that Pombo "is doing better this week than the two previous ones. He will have to get up to match fitness by playing games, but we have to see that he is prepared to play in training sessions and more. I've seen him grow in confidence this week both on a fitness and on a footballing level. I think that he's ready to participate."
Talking about goalkeepers and Femenías' performances, Ziganda declared that "competition has increased. Tomeu (Nadal) came in a little bit later, but he's up to full speed now. We have two goalkeepers who train very well, take their jobs very seriously, and have very healthy competition. I think Joan is performing at the same standard as the team and looking good. There have been a few situations where we could all have done more. He made a key save in Ibiza to prevent the 2-0, which kept us in the game. He can't relax because he has serious competition now, but he has experience and is better each day. It's good for everyone."
The Real Oviedo Head Coach believes that his team has "a lot of room to improve, but if it didn't then it would be a bad thing. It's impossible for us all to be at our best. The good thing is that the team is competing, giving the impression that it is in matches, and in general going out with a good mentality and attitude. The players don't have the automatic movements which let them play with their eyes closed yet. It's normal. It's not like if Arribas, Christian, Mossa and Lucas were playing together, where it would be clear that they've been together for a year and a half. I see other teams where players have spent more time together and they have things clearer. It takes time to create that harmony."
In terms of a playing philosophy, Cuco Ziganda argued that "we've seen the mentality we go out to play with in every match, at every ground. It's a good philosophy. We have the intention of going for the win and not settling for anything. We showed it in Huesca when they equalised, and how we finished the match in Ibiza. We go for the win. We have to make the most of the players we have out on the pitch. The formation changes the way of getting into the box, and we try to make the most of players in form. We change our style, but not our mentality nor our ideas or intentions. The fans have to see that we are a team that wants to win."
The Coach sees the Tartiere as very important, because it's about "getting points, and we all feel we have a better chance of doing so at home than away. The backing of the fans always gives us a boost in moments of doubt and pressures the opponent. Sometimes you need that added push when tiredness set in. In addition, the motivation of playing in front of your fans and being a key part of making them happy, has to help us, because we all really want it to be contagious between all of us. You can sense that the fans want to enjoy their football, and we have the ability to prove ourselves at our ground. The pride they show in us is a priceless reward."
A strong opponent will visit the Tartiere this Sunday. The Coach described Girona as a team that has "maintained the core of the team from last year. They are coming off the back of being in the playoffs, and finishing eighth or ninth isn't good enough for them. Their aim is to be up there. They've changed players and also their coach, but now have a great coach who has proven his worth. He's proven himself capable of getting promotion and he is trying to put his style in place. They are not going to mess about, they are going to get at us. They are going to ask a lot of us, because they try to dominate matches through possession. They attack in numbers."
