Speaking to the media via video link on Friday, Cádiz head coach Álvaro Cervera looked ahead to this weekend’s Liga Santander clash with Villarreal. “Our goal isn’t to beat Real Madrid,” he said, “but to stay in this division. Those three points take us closer to achieving that goal, and that’s it. We can’t let ourselves think we’ll beat the drop just by winning away from home; we need to turn those victories on the road into home wins, too.”
Cervera had words of praise for Villarreal: “I was watching their game [in the Europa League on Thursday, a 5-3 win over Sivasspor] and I made it six players who weren’t in the team who usually would be. They’ll be tough opposition. Villarreal have been a top side for a while now, one of the most dangerous sides in LaLiga because they play some really good stuff and have excellent players. I think it’s one of the toughest home games we’re going to have and we’re going to need to be on our mettle.”
The Cádiz boss says he’s delighted with Los Amarillos’ league position. “It’s a welcome boost to have so many points under our belts at this stage,” he admitted. “One thing that I feel has worked in our favour is that we’ve been outside of the relegation zone from day one. Once you’re in that drop zone, the tension gets ratcheted up a notch and that has an effect on everything you do.”
Asked about Villarreal boss Unai Emery, Cervera said: “He’s a coach who I follow closely. He’s had a fantastic coaching career with the likes of Sevilla, Valencia, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. He’s very methodical, really hard-working and analyses his opposition very well. I like to do the same and he’s always been someone I’ve sought to emulate. I’ve watched what he does and tried to learn from him. I’ve seen games where the homework he did for that game was the reason why his side came out on top. I think he’s a top coach.”
Looking ahead to what will be his 200th match in charge of Cádiz, Cervera said: “You always go to a new club aiming to be there for a good while, but no-one could have imagined this. In football these days, three bad results can lead to a change of coach; even without bad results, it can happen for other reasons, too. I’m delighted. Hopefully in another 200 games’ time I’ll still be here. I’m really happy, I couldn’t have expected it because I’d always been a coach who didn’t spend a long time at clubs.”
The boss says he has high hopes for this Cádiz side. “I’m optimistic because I can see the work that the lads do day in, day out,” he explained. “I know there’ll be a few clubs who are going to be battling with us to pick up the 40 points we need [to stay up], but the boys are looking good, are in high spirits and are winning the games they have to win. I’m optimistic, but come the end of the season I think the reality is we’ll be among the sides fighting to avoid relegation.”
Marcos Mauro and Iza Carcelén are the only players unavailable to face Villarreal, Cervera confirmed. “Marcos and Iza are out," he said, "and there’s the odd player who preferred to rest today to be in better shape tomorrow. As things stand, though, none of them are in danger [of missing the game]. Everyone is available except for the two lads I’ve mentioned.”
Cádiz are still adapting to life in the top flight, Cervera conceded: “We’re in Primera and we’re Primera players and coaches, but sometimes there are things we have to learn. We still need to work on our first-half displays, and on avoiding letting games slip from our grasp like it did against Sevilla. But I think we have a smart bunch of lads and they won’t let the same thing happen many times before learning their lesson. These are things that we’re sorting out.”
Asked about squad rotation, he said: “It’s going to be difficult to pick a player four or five games in a row without then having to rest him. But that’s good for the dressing room. There’ll be players who find that harder to deal with, and others who were maybe expecting less game time. That’s something we as a coaching team need to manage well, but it’s also something the players need to understand. We’ll have to keep a close eye on it and share out the game time.”
