The Mini Submarine host Tenerife this Sunday at 2pm CET
Villarreal B head coach Miguel Álvarez appeared at the press conference ahead of Sunday’s all-important 2pm kick-off against CD Tenerife. The Mini Submarine need the support of the fans to beat a tough opponent in a demanding match in which they will be looking for their first win of the year.
Here is what he had to say:
Absentees and Altimira
“The absentees are still there: Ferrari, Hugo Pérez, Hugo Novoa, Ortega, Víctor Moreno, Pablo Iñiguez… Nothing that is not normal. The decision that Altimira has trained with us is the club’s decision. When the boys come down from the first team to the B team, they know that this is a prize, being aware that this is their battlefield.”
Tenerife
“Hay muchos equipos que llevan varios partidos sin ganar y ahora le ha pasado al Tenerife. Si ves su plantilla, que tienen 23 o 24 jugadores de campo, son plantillas muy competitivas con posiciones dobladas y con mucha experiencia. Pero pese a tener una muy buena plantilla y uno de los mejores entrenadores de la liga, no siempre es fácil”.
The game
“It will be difficult, we will have to work hard, we will have to perform at our best. We have to focus on the now. The last few games we’ve played at home we’ve been very strong. We know that we have to compete very well to beat Tenerife and I expect a game in which the lads will give everything.”
The keys to the match
“To continue the line we have been on. The lads have already got the hang of playing at La Cerámica (19 out of 25 points). We’ve taken some very good points at home.”
The team’s situation
“The team is great. When you decide to coach a B team in this division, you know that you have to work hard, that you’re going to lose more than win, that it’s a process. We’re excited to be the only B team that can stay in the league for three years, and we’re going to do it. A B team has many more things than the day to day, and in the seven seasons that I’ve been here, I’ve always enjoyed the journey and the players. We are capable of doing that. We know where our shortcomings are, which we are working on, but we also know where our strengths are.”
Differences for a B team
“Football always has uncertainty. If we do things right, we’ll get to the final objective. I don’t see that we’re any different to other teams, although it’s true that we can’t rely on experience, but rather on intensity, desire… We know that at home we’re capable of doing well.”
Pressure because of the league table?
“I seem to remember that we had never been in the relegation zone before. I’m going to try to put it into perspective, that the mistake is part of the process, that we have another week to work on the next game. You have the uncertainty that we don’t know how they are going to react, but you can’t be thinking about what could happen. The most important thing is to make the players see that they are in an incredible division and that they have to enjoy this division. As experienced as I am, I’m scared, but that can’t leave us paralysed. Football is demanding, not just in the division, but in general. In professional football many things happen that don’t depend on you. I try to help young people, which is my job, and I want to give them hope and help them develop well.”
