Real Oviedo Head Coach, Juan Antonio Anquela, appeared before the press following training this morning at El Requexón.
The Coach began by evaluating the state of the team going into Saturday’s clash against Alcorcón. He said, “we are looking good and thinking about the next game, which will be a battle. We are right in the fight and we need to be capable of competing to stay up there. It’s going to be a very ndifficult match against a good team. They have a fine record having played in two sets of playoffs and having been only a goal away from reaching the Primera División. They have good statistics and a great history. We have to respect them and go out there to work, as in every match. We must compete.”
Asked about his own side, the Coach highlighted that, “Real Oviedo is up there, and everyone is very excited. We have to compete. We were almost at 100% in our game last Sunday. I say the same every week. I don’t mislead anyone, and I only talk about reality; it’s all about competing.”
Talking about his excitement going into the final stage of the season, “because it’s a nice period and particularly for our fans”, Anquela is clear that, “they ask us to perform at a level to compete against the top teams. When we have performed at that level, we have done so. What we mustn’t do is lose our composure. We need to fight until the final minute of the final match; that is my slogan. We must work, fight, and not stop competing.”
With respect to possible nerves in the air with the season drawing to an end, the Coach made clear that, “I only worry about things which affect me. I tell my people that I am not going to mislead them. We are a good team when we perform at our best level. If we don’t do that, then we find it difficult to win. If we are at our best, we can compete with anyone. Every week is huge, and we can’t think any further ahead than the next game. This is the Segunda División and you have to fight until the end.”
Finally, regarding the large number of fixtures left at the Tartiere compared to away from home, Anquela said that, “this type of mindset is putting the cart before the horse. Football has many twists and turns, and I don’t know what will happen. I only think about this week’s match, and then the following one. The statistics say one thing, but it’s something that we cannot and must not think about,” he concluded.
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