Real Oviedo Head Coach Cuco Ziganda today appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón.
How is the team doing?
- Victories strengthen morale and increase spirits within the squad. We are happy, but we know that it is a short week, with fewer days to prepare for the match. We are focused and thinking about tomorrow's match. The players have trained well and there's been a good tempo in training.
One of the positive pieces of news this week has been the return of Rodri. Is he ready for game time on Friday?
- No, not yet. He's been doing exercises, but with caution. He will be able to train in a more 'real' fashion next week. He will get stronger and get back to 100%. This week has been good for him to gain match fitness and get used to ball work again.
Are Oviedo reaching their peak from a fitness perspective? The team pressed Castellón very high up the pitch right from kick-off, and you didn't make any changes until the 79th minute.
- Castellón started the play from within their own area and meant that the team, with willingness and hunger, positioned itself on the pitch in that way. That level of pressing and that tempo will be difficult against other teams that we are going to face. The team has a spark and desire. They are willing to make an effort and push forward. We saw that the team is fresh and maintained its spark. That's why we made the substitutions late.
How do you prepare for a match against an opponent with a new coach, about to make his Segunda División debut? Given what you know about Iván Martínez, what type of match are you expecting?
- I coached Iván and know him. The important thing is us. We have to think about our improvement and our attitude when we step out at La Romareda. We don't know his plans, but we will act according to them. We won't have to change too much. We have experienced players and we will alter things slightly once we've seen what he does. A change in coach brings special motivation, but it is eleven against eleven. We are going there with the full intention of winning.
Is going to La Romareda with the opposition having just changed their coach a double-edged sword?
- You never know. People normally say that employing a new coach guarantees you victory, but, for example, that didn't happen in my case. It's a football match and everybody will look to gain an advantage from the different situations. They will be motivated, but you never know. We aren't thinking about it. We are just thinking about preparing well, maintaining our freshness from the last two matches, and having the willingness to approach the game with a winning mentality.
Is the way of playing against Castellón applicable to the Zaragoza match?
- It has to always be applicable. There are teams with set-ups which don't allow you to press so high up, but it has to not matter to us. Our attitude has to always be the same. We have faced different opponents this year and we have seen good things. All that we need to is to be clinical in both boxes. We are emphasising a style of play, but in particular a brave, ambitious attitude, whereby the opponent sees that we are trying to win matches. We have to not care about which ground we are playing at and which opponent we are up against.
Are you worried about overconfidence from your team, following the two victories and the opponent's position?
- It would be a grave error. The coach has to build it into training sessions. We are training fantastically well, I think it's going great, and now we have to show that in our intensity and our concentration. We are prepared for it. We can't relax and nor can we think that we have got it all sorted. We know the path we have to follow, and our final position will depend upon us and upon our continued improvement.
Has the passing of matchdays and certain players coming into form allowed you to find a standard starting eleven which you will select consistently?
- Between the time passing and the players who arrived later starting to pick up automatic movements and knowledge, it's good. I don't think we've fully got it yet, it's still soon. You couldn't say that things were beyond repair after two poor results, and nor can we do the opposite now. These two matches have reflected the way we train and the path we want to follow, but we have to back it up in our day-to-day work. It's still soon and we need a lot more points.
Given the great performance on Sunday, are you considering not changing anything?
- I am considering not making changes, but whatever I do will be a right decision. Those players who have not been playing have been training very well. It's good for the Coach. The attitude of all of them has been perfect.
Will there continue to be rotation at left back?
- It's been a coincidence away from home, but it's a strategic matter. It all depends on the feeling we have.
The defence seems to be the area with greatest competition for places. It seems difficult to drop players like Carlos (Hernández) or Christian (Fernández) now...
- And very difficult to drop Simone (Grippo) and Alejandro (Arribas). The four of them are playing at a great, solid level, and showing that they know how to handle the situation... It's good for any coach and we hope they keep going like this. They make the highest demands of each other and try to get better day-by-day. I am very happy with their performances, it's great for our growth.
Have you been surprised by the improvement in attack and the great attacking threat in the last two matches? What would you like the team to improve on next?
- We had been saying that the goals had to come from the whole team, not only the forwards. We have to get forward and join the attack, with the ambition to get goals. We have done well the last two matches. Looking for tools to enable the team to threaten goals is a motivation.