Ahead of a new week of training, with the Fuenlabrada match the objective on the horizon, Cuco Ziganda today appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón, responding to the questions put to him by members of the media.
The Head Coach described his team as being "willing, in high spirits, and full of energy." He then moved on to discuss the upcoming opponent, highlighting that "it's a complete team, whose physical capabilities catch your eye. They have strengthened well on the wings and have a lot of quality. It's a complete, experienced group, who will demand a lot of us on a physical level. It will be an uncomfortable match, and have totally different characteristics to the games we have played in recent weeks."
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Ziganda will have his full squad available for the encounter with the Madrid-based side, including Rodri Ríos. The forward "has completed the first week without any setbacks. He is doing well and he's picking up sharpness, even if it is clear that the rest of the squad have had more training sessions. It's a question of time and of demand. We will think about the decision we are going to take."
Ahead of possible changes to the starting eleven, the Coach believes that "we'll have to wait until the day of the match, but if there are changes then they will be minimal. We are on a short run of winning matches, and we have to build consistency."
The Coach was then asked about the competition which exists within the squad and specifically about Javi Mier's role in the team, with the youngster, who is registered as a B team player, receiving more first-team gametime than some first-team players. Ziganda reasoned that "all of the players are available. Whoever we think is the best option and doing the best will play. Javi Mier being registered as a B team player makes no difference. If he adds competition then that's good for the team. The squads are big and the same rules exist for everyone. Nobody is complaining, they all have a good attitude, and the behaviour is exemplary."
The Coach highlighted "hard work, confidence and persistence in the day-to-day work" as the key factors in the team's improvement in recent matches, while mentioning "ambition, quality and good finishing" as proving decisive for a Real Oviedo side which has "several ways of scoring goals."
Los Carbayones are now approaching a run of five matches in fifteen days. With respect to this situation and the possibility of making changes to bring freshness and rest to the side, Ziganda said that "we will see how it goes. I don't find it hard to rotate, but if I don't feel as if I have to do it then I won't. I will try to be as fair as possible, with the aim of winning all of the matches. There are more possibilities, but we will do whatever we see fit. We will take it one match at a time, and first up is Fuenlabrada. We mustn't get distracted. Every match is demanding and
different to the others."
Regarding the league's wage limits, which were published this week, the Coach admitted that "it's not a topic that I know about in great depth, but the feeling I have is that the club transmits calm, which is huge. Grupo Carso's behaviour last year was exceptional and brought calm to all of the employees at the club. There is stability, management and backing here, which helps us to work with calm. It's a privilege, and we have to be grateful for having those foundations. We are trying to get the best out of the squad and see what we are capable of doing. The backing and feeling within the club is very important when it comes to living with situations like the one we have right now, which is not a nice experience for society as a whole. We are grateful to be some of the lucky ones."
The Coach continued by saying that "I've had a quick look over the numbers, and there are clubs whose squads don't correspond with the numbers it says. We set our own demands and we have to demonstrate it day by day. We have to give the sense that we don't gift matches away and that we feel proud to be here. We want to give the image that we are a team, that we are solid, and that we are complete. The team works and does not gift anything away."
Finally, asked about the importance of having the support of Grupo Carso in the day-to-day work, represented in Oviedo by Federico González, Ziganda highlighted that "having the backing of Grupo Carso brings us a sense of calm and makes us feel that there are no emergencies. Our emergency is the football, not like other clubs, who have problems with making payments and with the wage limit. We don't have those problems and we have to be grateful. We are lucky. We can't get away from the reality, which is that we are privileged, and we have to give everything to try to build a good football team that the fans can identify with."
