Real Oviedo Head Coach Cuco Ziganda today appeared in the Press Room at the Carlos Tartiere.
Following his first full week of training, the Coach commented that "it's true that we left there disappointed by the defeat the other day, but we have turned it around. Now we have our sights on Tenerife, and have had good attitude and presence in training. We are thinking about the next match and what we need to do to win." Regarding the day-to-day work, Ziganda said that "we have to be honest in that it takes time, but we are aware of what we are going through. Two or three aspects so that the team can improve. The (lack of) time is not an excuse; we have what we have. Trying to do too many things isn't going to improve the situation."
Asked about the importance of keeping clean sheets, Cuco Ziganda highlighted that "it's all about work. We lost on Sunday, but the team didn't give much away. We defended well, but had a mix up from one set play. I saw things the other day, but we don't need to think about making drastic changes. The idea has to be to go after the match, and the focus on that which allows us to win the match. We must play in the same way from the first to the ninetieth minute. We know the theory; now we have to put it into practice. The players know their responsibilities, they are aware, and we are going to go for it."
Ahead of the team's return to the Tartiere, the Coach commented that "we prefer to play at home. It helps us. The fans respond if we give them something, I have that clear. We have to think about Tenerife after that, and about having things clear in order to win. We can't make excuses or look at the table. The only objective is to win and then win again. We need to be capable of transmitting energy towards Oviedismo. I want to see a team that goes forward and shows no sign of weakness.The fans will be important and we are going to need them. We need to give it everything and have faith."
With respect to planned changes to the starting eleven and how he will look to improve the team, the Coach highlighted that "you can't just flick a switch and everything change. We must make small changes to reach our goal. We are trying to do things so that we arrive on Sunday in the best possible condition. We mustn't weigh ourselves down; we have to see the attitude and willingness of the players. We will try to correct our errors and will try to be the team we want to be. Taking on responsibility hurts you, and so we have to try not to let it hold us back. The players aren't mentally blocked. We had more chances than our opponent in Lugo, but we didn't convert them. Analysing the match, we gave away less than them and created more. If we had fallen apart then we wouldn't have played with fluency in the second half. The team is alive, but we have to learn to live in this uncomfortable situation."
Regarding the need to get three points against Tenerife, Ziganda stated that "there is less and less margin for error. Tenerife are a good example for us; they have gained confidence and are doing well recently. We have all the respect in the world for them, but we are thinking about ourselves and playing our game."
Finally, discussing the next opponent further, the Coach highlighted that "they have options and I don't know how they will play. I don't know what they are going to do, so I'm not going over it too much in my head. We will act on Sunday and see what we do. We have an idea in mind, but there's not a lot of margin for tests. We have to have continuity."
