Real Oviedo Head Coach Cuco Ziganda today appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday's encounter with Alcorcón, the Coach began by providing updates on Arribas and Nahuel. "Alejandro is doing fine. He had a knock, but nothing serious. We'll see how Nahuel gets on in training today, although we don't think it's going to be a big deal."
Regarding the next opponent, Alcorcón, Ziganda highlighted that "it is what you can all see. It will be a hard match, there's a lot at stake. We have to trust in our strengths and keep giving a good, solid image." In addition, with respect to the opponent's usual formation of three centre backs and wing backs, the Gaffer commented that "the last team that played like that against us was Leganés, but it's a different issue. This match will be different."
Discussing this week's congested fixture list, the Coach stated that "there will be changes. These are hard fixtures and we have the squad available to us. It's a good time to pick people who are feeling confident."
Asked about the team's offensive threat, Ziganda reasoned that "it's not up to just one player. The normal thing is to have players who contribute, like we do. We aren't creating chances like we were in the first half of the season, as teams are getting to know us. We are doing better from set pieces now, but we mustn't let our defensive systems slip. It's increasingly difficult to find the spaces."
With respect to the fans and the team's likely performances if there were Oviedistas in the stands, the Coach highlighted that "we all know that having a full stadium pushing you on puts doubts in the opposition's minds and can change results. It's a shame that fans can't come to the games and support us. Football is important, but we can't ignore the drama the world is going through."
Finally, regarding whether the team's objective is survival, Ziganda admitted that "what we can say is that we need to get to 50 points as soon as possible, push up the table, and then see."
