Real Oviedo Head Coach, Juan Antonio Anquela, appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón following the first week of training of the New Year.
In his first Press Conference of 2018 following the Winter Break, the Coach began by declaring that, “everyone looks good to me. Some are ill, but we are ok. We will wait until the last minute.” In addition, regarding the possibility of Toché being called up to the Matchday Squad, Anquela admitted that, “we must stay calm. We will ask and do what’s best for everyone. He looked in perfect condition to me, and we will see if he is available.” With respect to whether the break would affect the fine performances the team had been producing previously, Juan Antonio Anquela said that, “you never know how these breaks will turn out. I want us to
keep competing in the same way and not lose sight of our aims in the league.”
Talking about the next opponent, Huesca, the Carbayón Coach highlighted that, “they have beaten good opponents. They play a good standard of football, are top of the league, and are the best team in the division for me. They have got the signings that they have made right, and everything has worked out for them. They are the best team and they are strong in every match.” In addition, the Coach evaluated his return to his previous club, saying, “I am going to see many friends, since I always leave good friends wherever I go. It’s an extra responsibility from a footballing point of view, and we know that if we don’t continue as we have been, then we will have a very bad time of it.”
Asked about what was seen from his team during the final months of 2017, Anquela pointed out that, “we are a difficult team to beat now, and we play our game well. We must continue along this path, and if we don’t then we will be disappointed. We must never lose our humility nor our respect; not towards football, nor our opponents, and particularly not towards Huesca. They are better than us as they have four more points, and we will only beat them with hard work and humility. If we kid ourselves then we will pay dearly for it. You can go from top to bottom in two matches. What makes us better is having a philosophy and identity in our play. We must continue on this path; nothing else matters to us.”
After a week of training surrounded by the great atmosphere around the team and a large number of fans at each session, Juan Antonio Anquela admitted that, “it terrifies me. I feel very responsible and I don’t want to fail anybody. We are playing with the excitement of many people and we mustn’t fail them. Following Real Oviedo is like a religion and we must be at the same level as the fans. We can’t tell them not to get excited, but we want them to help us and understand that this is very difficult.”
Regarding possible signings during the January transfer window, the Coach was cautious and stated that, “I am only thinking about the 18 to take to Huesca, and then we will see. There are people doing well behind the scenes and working on it.”
Finally, ahead of tonight’s festive celebrations in Spain, Juan Antonio Anquela said that, “I just want excitement, hard work, and good health. I want to be happy in my work and have the health to maintain it. That’s what I will ask of the Three Kings,” he concluded.
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