This morning, Thursday, Cádiz first team coach Álvaro Cervera was in the press room at the Ciudad Deportiva to talk to the media about the forthcoming game against Getafe this Saturday. “We’ve got what is a key game for us the day after tomorrow. This week has been different compared to all the others. There was a lot of discussion at the beginning but, without ignoring it, we’ve tried to focus on the game, which in and of itself was already going to be difficult, and with everything that’s happened even more so,” explained Cervera.
No end to the fight against racism. “The focus has been placed on Cádiz after what happened the other day. Everyone knows this club. I’ve known Juan for two years. I know what he’s like, I’ve been to his house, he’s been to mine. I know him inside out. He’s someone who is worth your time. It’s because I know him, that’s why I’ll fight for him and why I believe him. We need to lead the fight against every type of discrimination, but not just this week, it has to be constant, to ensure it never happens. We need to eradicate it. Things are getting better. That isn’t Cádiz and that isn’t Juan. We need to condemn any [discriminatory] act whatsoever. We need to lead the fight against all of it.”
On Cala. “The player has been affected by it because he’s a decent person and decent people are affected when something like this happens. He’s suffering. I’ll make the decision, but in principle I need to make sure the player feels ok, supported and for everything to get back to normal as quickly as possible.”
The opposition. “Getafe are a side who play to their strengths and that’s the way it is. Whoever wants to look at it differently is making a mistake. They are a team who push you to the limit in a lot of ways. I don’t agree with people who talk Getafe down. It’s one more game, against a team we know who do certain things differently to other sides.”
Togetherness. “The squad is made up of some 30 footballers who make a group, but each one of them is an individual. When I speak to them, I speak to the group. I try to give them a vision to allow them to compete, then each one has his own particular approach. It’s been an odd week, but if you have the conviction that you, your team, your group have nothing to do with what happened, but rather are fighting so that society continues to get better, it’s easier. We have no doubts about that, whatever any one might think. We need to carry on and keep competing.”
The game against Valencia. “There were some decent moments, from us, but also from them. There was an initial spell when we played like we wanted to, although they forced a lot of corners. After the match stopped we were at a standstill, unable to react, that’s where we could have lost the game. After the break we showed what we can do and when we managed to stop them doing what they want, you saw the decent version of Cádiz and we won the match. We were lucky to win it at the end, because if we’d gone ahead before, with the players they have, we would have struggled to hold on to the result.”
State of the squad. “When El Choco came up he told me he’s good to play. Rubén Sobrino stopped because he needed to, but he’s available. Álex isn’t, hopefully he’s not out for long. The rest are available, with the problems that are normal near the end of the season. We’ll look after them so they can play. As things go on there are more players who can really give the team something, like Iván Alejo the other day, Malbasic, Jorge Pombo, which is what I was looking for. I’ve got a vision of how we can use them. The team is better from that point of view.”
Saponjic. “There have been a few games where I thought I should bring on Saponjic and in others I went for Malbasic. Sapo trains well, he’s a quiet lad, but he trains well and adapts quickly. I’ll use him depending on the game we’re playing.”
Quality of Getafe with Aleña and Take. “Getafe playing at home against us aren’t going to accept a draw at any point. I see them as a team who push you to the limit on every play. They won’t take you apart with the ball, but on any piece of play that seems unimportant they’ll push you to the limit and make it count. Their forwards are a nuisance because they never stop running. They’ve added quality and I like how they get things done with their desire to compete.”
Direct rivals. “When we face teams such as Elche and Huesca, that’s where it’s going to be really tough to get the points to stay up. This depends on the games against direct rivals. We’ve got a path to safety they don’t have, but we need to win to be at ease.”
Happy at Cádiz. “What I do is make sure my work is enjoyable. I get up every morning and I know what kind of squad I’ll be facing, what type of players, the assistants, the people around the team. For five years, heading to El Rosal means being happy. Nothing I’m going to find there is going to take the smile off my face in the morning. We’ve built this ourselves. Because of everything, the pressure is tremendous and everyone has their own approach to life. This year, when I’ve been on my own, I’ve reacted in ways I haven’t in other years. I surprised myself and I’ve had to pick up the phone and make a call. When we got to Carranza and there were people on motorbikes and it took me back and I thought that we needed all the fans there so we didn’t have to take all the pressure home with us alone. Sometimes it’s tough to cope with.
