Quique S. Flores: “2010, a great year: we played in three finals and won two titles”
“These players are the ones who will take us to Champions spots”
Quique Sánchez Flores, manager of Atlético de Madrid, appeared convinced that the bad week which he called ‘tragic’ has passed and expects the best in Málaga. Furthermore, in giving the year of 2010 a mark, he said “it’s high, although the elimination from the Europa League has lowered it.”
The ‘rojiblanco’ manager made it clear that he hasn’t had to work with the players too much after the elimination from Europe last Thursday. “We had to work really hard a two or three weeks ago because it was a very tough week. That has passed. We wanted to stay alive in the competition but it’s done. Let’s say that the recovery process began a while ago, around ten days. The players are fine now and aware that we have two goals left this season. And we know that Sunday’s match is going to be tough, against a team that plays very well at times and is inconsistent at others. They have a good manager and good footballers. We have to be cautious because it’s a tough match.”
Regarding whether Thursday’s effort in Germany might affect the team in La Rosaleda, Quique highlighted that “I think that it won’t. We have made other trips during the season and we have substitutions. that’s why I’m not too worried.”
After beating Deportivo easily and drawing and playing a good game against Bayer in Leverkusen, he was asked if the crisis of that negative week had been overcome. “The worst moment was the climax of that tragic week when our mental state was turned upside down unexpectedly. In tough times, experienced pilots, and that goes for both players and coaches, have to look at as just another flight and that’s what we have to do. I like the group, I love the mental and athletic states. These are the same players that will take us to Champions spots and who will get us excited again during the season.”
He didn’t want to give a big evaluation before the Málaga match. The ‘rojiblanco’ manager made it clear that “I make evaluations after the game is played, and sometimes I make mistakes. A priori, I only ask for a win. At times I think that the post-game press conferences should be two days after the matches because I don’t get a real perception of things until having seen the match twice. Sometimes when I speak after a match I’ve been much more demanding than I should have been because I saw a worse match than the one I later see on video. And sometimes the opposite happens, I think that it was a good game and then I’m horrified when I analyse it again later. In principle, I always go with the idea of winning.”
With respect to Málaga, the ‘rojiblanco’ head coach had words of praise for his counterpart and for the opponent. “Pellegrini is a very good manager and he’s shown that in Spain. Málaga is a team that can surprise you and play a good match or can surprise you with concentration lapses. We, bearing in mind it’s their stadium, that they know us and are coming off a painful loss that will have woken them up for the next fixture, have to prepare for the worst possible scenario. Therefore, the only good thing for us is to go there and play a good game. There’s no other way to look at it.”
He left it clear that he’s being informed of all of the transactions being looked at by the Club. “At all times. Besides, this is a club in which very few people handle the internal business. I am in almost daily communication with Enrique Cerezo, Miguel Ángel Gil and Jesús García Pitarch, who are the three people who manage each department. And this is the only way that things can go well.”
To finish, he was asked for an assessment of 2010, a magical year for Atleti, in which they played three final and won two titles, the Europa League and the European Super Cup. “2010 has been a great year. Taking into account that we began to rally in 2010 with that 5-1 win over Recreativo in the Cup and that made us feel really good. A squad that plays in three finals and wins two has to be given a very high mark. The elimination from the Europa League this year has lowered it a bit, but the mark for 2010 is high.”
The ‘rojiblanco’ manager made it clear that he hasn’t had to work with the players too much after the elimination from Europe last Thursday. “We had to work really hard a two or three weeks ago because it was a very tough week. That has passed. We wanted to stay alive in the competition but it’s done. Let’s say that the recovery process began a while ago, around ten days. The players are fine now and aware that we have two goals left this season. And we know that Sunday’s match is going to be tough, against a team that plays very well at times and is inconsistent at others. They have a good manager and good footballers. We have to be cautious because it’s a tough match.”
Regarding whether Thursday’s effort in Germany might affect the team in La Rosaleda, Quique highlighted that “I think that it won’t. We have made other trips during the season and we have substitutions. that’s why I’m not too worried.”
After beating Deportivo easily and drawing and playing a good game against Bayer in Leverkusen, he was asked if the crisis of that negative week had been overcome. “The worst moment was the climax of that tragic week when our mental state was turned upside down unexpectedly. In tough times, experienced pilots, and that goes for both players and coaches, have to look at as just another flight and that’s what we have to do. I like the group, I love the mental and athletic states. These are the same players that will take us to Champions spots and who will get us excited again during the season.”
He didn’t want to give a big evaluation before the Málaga match. The ‘rojiblanco’ manager made it clear that “I make evaluations after the game is played, and sometimes I make mistakes. A priori, I only ask for a win. At times I think that the post-game press conferences should be two days after the matches because I don’t get a real perception of things until having seen the match twice. Sometimes when I speak after a match I’ve been much more demanding than I should have been because I saw a worse match than the one I later see on video. And sometimes the opposite happens, I think that it was a good game and then I’m horrified when I analyse it again later. In principle, I always go with the idea of winning.”
With respect to Málaga, the ‘rojiblanco’ head coach had words of praise for his counterpart and for the opponent. “Pellegrini is a very good manager and he’s shown that in Spain. Málaga is a team that can surprise you and play a good match or can surprise you with concentration lapses. We, bearing in mind it’s their stadium, that they know us and are coming off a painful loss that will have woken them up for the next fixture, have to prepare for the worst possible scenario. Therefore, the only good thing for us is to go there and play a good game. There’s no other way to look at it.”
He left it clear that he’s being informed of all of the transactions being looked at by the Club. “At all times. Besides, this is a club in which very few people handle the internal business. I am in almost daily communication with Enrique Cerezo, Miguel Ángel Gil and Jesús García Pitarch, who are the three people who manage each department. And this is the only way that things can go well.”
To finish, he was asked for an assessment of 2010, a magical year for Atleti, in which they played three final and won two titles, the Europa League and the European Super Cup. “2010 has been a great year. Taking into account that we began to rally in 2010 with that 5-1 win over Recreativo in the Cup and that made us feel really good. A squad that plays in three finals and wins two has to be given a very high mark. The elimination from the Europa League this year has lowered it a bit, but the mark for 2010 is high.”
