Speaking to the media via video link from the club’s training ground, Cádiz head coach Álvaro Cervera looked ahead to Thursday’s clash with Athletic Club. Discussing the shape his side are in going into the match, he said: “We looked in good physical nick the other day. We have to make the most of the five substitutions at our disposal, because we feel that the effort we have to put in in this division is quite a bit more intense than in Segunda División.”
Cervera continued: “It’s difficult to say exactly how the players will be feeling physically on Thursday. We try to play each game in the same manner, but the intensity [in LaLiga Santander] is different and we reckon we could notice that. We’ll try to freshen up the side. We’ll be fine on Thursday, although of course we also have to think about the shape we’ll be in on Sunday, too.”
The club are working hard to strengthen the squad. “As a coach, what I’ve always tried to stress is the need to have two players per position,” he said. “That’s what's best. You want two similar players in certain positions, and two different kinds of players in others. For me, that's the ideal scenario. Sometimes it’s possible. The club know what I’d like to have, but whether or not it can be done is another matter. We try to do things the best we possibly can.”
Asked about Thursday’s opponents, Cervera said: “Athletic are a side whose strengths have been there to see for a number of years. They had a bit of a dip before [Gaizka] Garitano came in as coach and turned things around. They have a very recognisable playing style. They’ve got a variety of options going forward. They’re a well-gelled side who, given the ground that they play at, will feel the absence of their home fans keenly. They’re a high-tempo team. They use quick wingers and are really solid at the back. They’re not normally a side who surprise you with their approach, but if you let them play at their tempo, they’ll beat you. [But] we’ve shown that if we play our game we can hurt teams.”
Salvi Sánchez’s injury issue is progressing well, Cervera said: “Salvi hasn’t been able to train yet. We took a look at him doing some individual running and we expect him to be able to train tomorrow. The way the problem is progressing, it doesn’t seem to be as bad as first thought. So, as things stand, we don’t have any players who won’t be available. Tomorrow we’ll have to look at which players are carrying niggles and should play on Sunday. But in principle we don’t have anyone unavailable.”
Central midfielder Jon Ander Garrido is training as normal. “Garrido is going through his paces at the same intensity as the rest of the lads, and has said he’s now OK to play some minutes. That’s good news for us. With the number of players we have at our disposal, that’s a position we’ve got covered right now.”
Discussing the step-up in quality in LaLiga Santander, Cervera said: “In Primera División, you can’t win the ball back as easily; teams don’t give it away as cheaply. And if you give up two chances, you concede two goals. We’ve let in five goals so far, and three have been one on ones. We don’t tend to give away opportunities like that, but it has happened to us. We have to stick to our playing style, but when we win the ball back we have to do what we did the other day: not just get rid of it. We have to manage the ball to a certain degree. That doesn’t mean playing lots and lots of passes, but we do need those transitional passes. We have to do that without the opposition causing us problems. We can’t be in Primera with the playing mindset of a Segunda side."
Cervera also had words of praise for Jorge Pombo. “When we returned for pre-season, we all thought that Pombo could potentially leave, but he has shown that you can always turn a situation around,” he said. “He reported back, worked hard, looked after himself and showed himself to be in as good a nick as anyone in the squad. He has earned [his place in the side] by working hard and doing what you ask of a footballer. If a player forgets that, that’s how they lose their spot in the team.”
