José Bordalás turns the page of the market and does not look beyond Real Sociedad. His press conference began with a question about Athletic Bilbao because the Copa del Rey draw was yesterday and no one from the club made an assessment, although the semifinal will not be until Thursday and the match against Imanol Alguacil He sees it as “a turning point” to get hooked on the fight for European places in the League.
Bordalás, who spoke for a long time with president Anil Murthy before training, predicts that he will make changes in the Mestalla match against Real, although noting that “there are guys who are working well.” Cillessen and Alderete have trained with the group, although he has no intention of forcing them and they will only act if their feelings after training this Saturday and the one they will do on Sunday are optimal.
What Bordalás does not want is for the players to be distracted by the euphoria that is experienced in the city for seeing each other two games from a final. “People on the street congratulate us, that state of optimism is inevitable… but the most important thing is to interpret the game against Real Sociedad as we should”
What assessment do you make of the Cup draw?
We are facing a very important match in the League, but it is inevitable to talk about the Cup because the draw was yesterday. Any team was complicated, Athletic is a historic team, which has many Cup titles and has shown that it is in a great moment, eliminating Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Are you worried that your players will get lost against Real Sociedad?
The important game is that of Real Sociedad. We are immersed in the second round of the championship, each day there is one step less and it is an opportunity to get hooked on the top of the classification. The team is psyched up for the game against Real, obviously.
How’s Cillessen?
I already said that I am not a spokesperson on the medical issue. I can tell you what I appreciate. Jasper (Cillessen), although he is doing things with Ochotorena and Borja, we will decide on Sunday morning, we will see if he arrives in the best conditions. But until tomorrow, when we have a little chat, we won’t decide.
What remains for Paulista?
He is very well and we trust that he will join soon, we want him to join the group and return normally. I hope so.
Jaume is playing in the Cup, can he change in the League?
It is a possibility that he will continue playing, but Mamardashvili is also working well and it is a possibility that he is there.
Will it do rotations?
There are guys who are working well, I’m happy with them, wanting to help and participate and players who haven’t done so in recent games can participate.
Has the Cup given you a climate of optimism?
It can always be positive if we don’t get confused and if we don’t lose focus. I commented to the boys in the locker room that the fans in the street tell us to see if we reach the final. The optimism of the fans is inevitable, it is there. But Real is a difficult, complicated team and we have to focus on tomorrow’s game. From then on, we will focus on the Cup.
Now you have overbooking from the midfield forward, are you considering a change of system with Moriba, Soler… a 4-5-1?
It is a possibility that is there. We have also played with three central defenders and we have not changed the number of players up front. New players can enter. The most important thing is to interpret each game. It is an important day for the team. It can be a turning point to get hooked on the top positions.
Is 2:00 p.m. the most complicated time to prepare for a match?
If it is not the most complicated, it is the least common, but we have to adapt. We have already played with that schedule, we have to adapt. It’s the least of my worries. I am concerned about the team in the sense that we give our best level. Opposite we are going to have a great rival with a great coach. They come from losing in the Cup and want to do great things in the League, because they want to fight to be in Europe next season.
When Valencia has faced teams from the upper middle zone, it has not been able to win…
It’s an opportunity to change that dynamic. We play at home, with the support of our fans, who will be with the team without a doubt. I see the team well, psyched up. I have full confidence in the boys.
He only has Guillamón, why didn’t Diawara come?
I am not going to enter into controversy with the above. The market was closed and we can’t think about the players who may or may not have come. We are already immersed in the rest of the championship and in two very important competitions. We have to try to get the players that are here to give us the maximum performance.
He was surprised by the 0-4 of Betis…
It was a misleading result. Betis has a great punch and good dynamics. But Real did not deserve such a resounding result. That shows the difficulty of the competition. We are not carried away by a bad result. Every match is different.
Alderete arrives?
Same thing with Jasper. I have to talk to him to see what feelings he has. We will decide if it is better to risk or wait for the next game.
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