Villarreal B will face Real Sporting away from home this Friday at 9pm CEST in another tough game
Miguel Álvarez appeared in front of the media ahead of the match against Real Sporting de Gijón, corresponding to Matchday 9 of the 2022/23 LaLiga SmartBank season, this Friday at 9pm CEST at El Molinón – Enrique Castro Quini. He underlined the difficulty of playing at a big stadium against a historic team and the learning process that can come from matches like this. These are the key points from what the Mini Submarine head coach had to say:
The opposition
“As always when we play away, we know how difficult it is. We are going to have to adapt a bit to our opponents. We want to enjoy this match because we are growing. In Málaga, we took a step forward, and then we did the same here against Burgos. We are facing a big rival who will show us where we are.”
Assessment of the start of the league season
“We couldn’t be happier with the boys. We’ve just arrived in a complicated division in LaLiga SmartBank, we’ve missed a lot of people along the way and, on the positive side, we’ve had young players making their debuts, which is very important for the future. After eight matches, they have shown us where we can improve. Against Sporting, there will be a lot of young players on the pitch and we’ll see how they perform without the ball, which is what we’ve been working on a lot. If we improve in all the aspects we have on our list, we are going to compete at a very high level in Segunda.”
Visiting a historic stadium
“Of course it motivates us. The start of the league has been enjoyable because we’ve faced Racing, Granada, Levante and Málaga away with a lot of people in the stands. I don’t know how many people will go to the stadium in Gijón, but I’m sure it will be a lot. It’s a huge learning experience for the boys, not only on a footballing level, but also on an emotional level. You have to know how to isolate yourself and manage all that, so it’s a phenomenal lesson for them.”
Looking for growth
“No team is consistent away from home. The consistency we are looking for is for the boys to grow and for that growth to be seen week after week. If we were getting points without seeing individual and collective growth, it wouldn’t be enough for us. We want to be demanding of ourselves and be a difficult team for our opponents.”
