The Mini Submarine head coach underlined the direct play of UD Ibiza, who are next up on Sunday at 2pm CET at the Mini
Villarreal B head coach Miguel Álvarez appeared in front of the media ahead of the upcoming match against UB Ibiza, ahead of Matchday 16 of the 2022/23 LaLiga SmartBank season, which will take place on Sunday 20th November at 2pm CET at the Mini Estadi. The Mini Submarine will return to league action after a week off due to the Copa del Rey.
Here are his key points:
The return of Pablo Iñiguez and Sergio Lozano
“We are very happy. We’ve been without them for so many weeks, especially Pablo, who has been out for longer. They are already working with the group and if nothing happens they could be called up this week. As coaches, when we have a lot of people to choose from, we’re happy.”
The opposition
“In this division, anyone can beat anyone. Ibiza are under construction. As always when there is a change of coach, there are new proposals. Tehy’re going to be a very difficult team. They are a team with a lot of experience in the category and they know how to hurt their opponents and close out games. They have good direct play, counter-attacking and wing play. I also liked them under the old coach. I think they had fewer points than they deserved. They were set up well.”
Keys to the match
“Having a lot of patience on the ball and being very strong in duels, direct play and second balls, as well as controlling their best players. They have a lot of experienced players and they combine that with young players.”
Unbeaten at the Mini
“One of the things that will lead us to our goal is to be strong at home. Points at home are vital. It’s very difficult for all teams to play away. When you’re at home with your people you always feel more supported and believe in what you’re doing. Year after year, we have been strong at home.”
The team deserved more against Huesca
“We’re a team with young players and we’ve had some losses along the way and the lads had to get used to the category, but, little by little, we’re proving to be a difficult team. Huesca could only beat us with a direct free-kick. We played football to get a better result, but that’s not what football is about. Now we are doing things that bring us closer to winning. We are happy with the last few outings. The team is becoming more and more recognisable.”
Working with joy
“It’s my way of life. I try to be happy and not make someone else unhappy. It’s a great atmosphere. We try to have fun. Being happy in your day-to-day work is not at odds with working hard. When a person is happy they perform better at work. We work with young people so the sessions have more rhythm and intensity. We also try to make them happy when they lose so they can try to improve and win the next one.”
