Quique S. Flores: 'It’s going to be a very physical and high-paced match'
'Our players of reference have to be mentally prepared'
Quique Sánchez Flores is confident that his team can break the spell they seem to be under in Almería, where they’ve never won, and return to Madrid with the three points in play. “It’s going to be a tough match, like all other in La Liga. That speaks about the level of our championship, which is the best in Europe. All of the opponents bring out the best of themselves. Teams such as Real Madrid had a very rough go of it in that stadium. We’re surely going to suffer as well, as they’re searching for their goal as hard as they can. It’s going to be a very physical match with lots of voracity in each 50-50 ball. They’re going to try and mark their territory,” he reflected.
The ‘rojiblanco’ manager believes that his team is heading to Almería in the best possible conditions, assuring that “the squad has been able to pick itself up out of the bad times. I’m a wary person and I don’t like to get overconfident. If we give the best we can, football gives it back to you, but if we leave something along the way, football hits you hard. It would be good if we’d learn from our mistakes.”
Quique knows that his team has learned from the errors they’ve made over the course of the season. For this reason he hopes that they don’t make them again. “We’ve had examples where we’ve played well away from home: Zaragoza, Málaga and Real Sociedad. We’ve lacked consistency on the road, and to achieve that we need to be supportive in the team play. Everyone knows what they train for and how they have to play. The team is like a long line of dominoes, and none of them can be allowed to fall. If one falls, two or three fall, and then all of them fall. Everyone is important,” he highlighted.
“The group’s mental state really concerns me. In football nowadays, there’s lots of pressure on the players, coaches, executives... there’s a fear of failure and the consequences. That grips the players and affects their actions. We have to avoid that pressure. We have to be positive and think like that... have a mind devoted to our profession,” he asserted.
The Atlético de Madrid manager believes that Agüero and Forlán have relieved some of the pressure after scoring last Saturday against Villarreal. He assured that “the team played a great game against Villarreal, as they were very close to rest of the squad. They’re two reference points for the group and we need them in every match. Our reference points have to be very mentally prepared and know what type of game they’re going to find. They both scored once again and that’s a consequence of the good work of the whole group. Forlán is making a tremendous effort because his ankle is pretty banged up. He’s responding and you have to appreciate that.”
José Antonio Reyes and Sergio Agüero could miss the derby next week against Real Madrid if either of them receives a yellow card in Almería. In spite of that, Quique emphasized that “I’m terrified of warning my players about these issues. I try not to mention it; they know what they have to do. It seems like if you point it out it’s like calling it that it’s going to happen. Hopefully they’ll focus on the match and play as well as possible.”
With respect to the heavy schedule that Real Madrid have to deal with before taking on Atlético de Madrid, Quique explained that “we’ve also suffered from the schedule, for example in the Copa del Rey against Madrid. This is something that happens to all teams at some point during the competition and we, in this case, have hardly complained.
“We have to confirm that we’re in good form against Almería. There’s a big difference in the group when they’re happy compared to when they’re sad. When they’re down you have to help them and pamper them. When they’re happy, it’s wonderful, as they enjoy everything they do. You have to enjoy your job and know how to experience it to the fullest,” Quique Sánchez Flores finished.
The ‘rojiblanco’ manager believes that his team is heading to Almería in the best possible conditions, assuring that “the squad has been able to pick itself up out of the bad times. I’m a wary person and I don’t like to get overconfident. If we give the best we can, football gives it back to you, but if we leave something along the way, football hits you hard. It would be good if we’d learn from our mistakes.”
Quique knows that his team has learned from the errors they’ve made over the course of the season. For this reason he hopes that they don’t make them again. “We’ve had examples where we’ve played well away from home: Zaragoza, Málaga and Real Sociedad. We’ve lacked consistency on the road, and to achieve that we need to be supportive in the team play. Everyone knows what they train for and how they have to play. The team is like a long line of dominoes, and none of them can be allowed to fall. If one falls, two or three fall, and then all of them fall. Everyone is important,” he highlighted.
“The group’s mental state really concerns me. In football nowadays, there’s lots of pressure on the players, coaches, executives... there’s a fear of failure and the consequences. That grips the players and affects their actions. We have to avoid that pressure. We have to be positive and think like that... have a mind devoted to our profession,” he asserted.
The Atlético de Madrid manager believes that Agüero and Forlán have relieved some of the pressure after scoring last Saturday against Villarreal. He assured that “the team played a great game against Villarreal, as they were very close to rest of the squad. They’re two reference points for the group and we need them in every match. Our reference points have to be very mentally prepared and know what type of game they’re going to find. They both scored once again and that’s a consequence of the good work of the whole group. Forlán is making a tremendous effort because his ankle is pretty banged up. He’s responding and you have to appreciate that.”
José Antonio Reyes and Sergio Agüero could miss the derby next week against Real Madrid if either of them receives a yellow card in Almería. In spite of that, Quique emphasized that “I’m terrified of warning my players about these issues. I try not to mention it; they know what they have to do. It seems like if you point it out it’s like calling it that it’s going to happen. Hopefully they’ll focus on the match and play as well as possible.”
With respect to the heavy schedule that Real Madrid have to deal with before taking on Atlético de Madrid, Quique explained that “we’ve also suffered from the schedule, for example in the Copa del Rey against Madrid. This is something that happens to all teams at some point during the competition and we, in this case, have hardly complained.
“We have to confirm that we’re in good form against Almería. There’s a big difference in the group when they’re happy compared to when they’re sad. When they’re down you have to help them and pamper them. When they’re happy, it’s wonderful, as they enjoy everything they do. You have to enjoy your job and know how to experience it to the fullest,” Quique Sánchez Flores finished.
