Real Oviedo Head Coach Cuco Ziganda appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón ahead of the Monday's fixture against Huesca.
The Gaffer began by evaluating the state of his squad ahead of the match at El Alcoraz. "We've had a bit of everything, the week has been a bit like preseason. We made the most of it to get sessions into players who were short on preparation. It's been good, hard, tough work. We've had some little problems with gastroenteritis, vaccines, and knocks, which have meant that several players haven't been able to train. We're happy with the week, though."
Discussing the possibility of summer signings starting Monday's match, Ziganda declared that "they've got a chance. We are talking about people who haven't been here since 7th July. Some of them could play. We will see how it goes and weigh up who should play."
Asked about the need to get the first three points of the season, the Coach stated that "we always have a winning mentality and we need to put in a good performance. All of the teams need three points, you can see that right from the start of the season. We are getting going, but there's a long way to go. We need to pick the best team possible to give ourselves the best chance of winning."
Regarding the next opponent, Huesca, Ziganda highlighted that "they've played brilliantly at home, with a 'happy' style of play. I know their coach. He knows a lot and gets teams working. They play good football. They have first-division players and are strong candidates for promotion given their quality and their squad."
With respect to a change in system, the Coach stated that "I've thought about it. We have to adapt to the players we have. The top teams can sign whoever they want and the top coaches are the ones who have earnt the right to do so. We have a diverse squad, with options, and we have to put the puzzle together. I would have been delighted with this squad on 7th July. Now we have to see the players' performances and how they adapt. It's a complete squad with alternatives and options. We have to come together, get on the same page, and see the best way to get our best performances. There's no time for testing, we are straight into it."
Asked how he feels about the squad with the window now closed, Ziganda said he was "happy with the team", while admitting that "what we have to do is to build a solid, compact group which can shine. Every team has strengthened and I believe that there are better squads than last year (in the division). We are happy, but we have to adapt and get into a working dynamic and grow collectively. The squad has the quality to have a good year, to grow, and to be optimistic. We have developed competition and we all have to be at our best. When we are all at our best we are going to have different options in order to carry out our game plans."
Finally, talking about the signing of Gastón Brugman, Ziganda commented that "he's a midfielder who is going to be very useful for the squad. He has quality, and he's a type of player we didn't have in the squad before."
