Quique Sánchez Flores: 'We have to come out with energy and play a good game'
“Sporting are dynamic; they like back-and-forth matches”
Quique Sánchez Flores appeared before the press to speak about Sporting, a team for which he has lots of respect, the absences for this match (Mario Suárez, Agüero and Reyes) and the future of the team, which has a lot on the line in the upcoming home fixtures in which they received direct rivals in the battle for European spots such as Athletic, Valencia, Villarreal and Sevilla.
With respect to the absences of Reyes and Agüero for the opening match of the second round of league play, Quique Sánchez Flores said that “they’re important absences but we’re going to try and send out a combative side against a young, dynamic and energetic squad. After so many games in such little time we want to put on a team with energy.”
As Perea already stated on Friday, there are 19 finals left, and the manager agreed on this point. “All of the matches are going to be important. Obviously we’d like to win them all, but that’s going to be tough. Therefore, the most important thing is to find that line of balance and consistency. The terms with respect to last season have been turned around. Back then we had to divert the main goal and look at others, and now we’re back to normal. Titles are expensive and difficult. But we’re focused on our main goal of the season. The team is aware that there are 19 games left and although all of them are important, some are more than others, especially those against direct rivals at home, and that makes the second half very attractive.”
With regards to whether last Thursday’s effort could take its toll on his squad, the head coach commented that “they’re a bit worn out because we were playing a very physical and strong side, and we made the big effort we had to to try and stay in the qualifying round. But we have to recover because we live on this and we train so that we can overcome physical exertion. There will be no excuse in that sense. We have to come out with energy and play a good game.”
He praised the work of his counterpart, Manuel Preciado. “Sporting look good to me. I can’t imagine them without Preciado. I think that he is very Sporting and Sporting is very Preciado. They’re a team that is very dynamic at home, move a lot from the midfield forward, interchange positions a lot… they like back-and-forth matches. They’re a squad that doesn’t close out games and open them up constantly, and really run wild in attack when they play at home. We’re going to try to control their best weapons and attack their worst defects. And that’s how we’re going to try and plan the encounter.”
Quique Sánchez Flores continues to believe that his team is in a better spot right now than at the same time last season. “We began the season with high hopes and after winning the Super Cup and starting out strong, we thought that everything was possible. But circumstances resituate you during the season. I think that if the team is amongst the top four at the end of the season that we’ll have accomplished the Club’s basic goal regarding economics, future expectations, signings for next season, growth of the squad and revaluation of the players. Being sixth right now, fifth or fourth, honestly I think that it’s important to be close, like in any race, but the important thing is where we are in four months and there’s a lot left.”
He stated that the team is missing five points. “We should have earned five more points. If one wants to be in Champions you plan on needing 70 points at the end. And, finally, due to circumstances, right now we’re missing five or six points. It’s also illogical that teams such as Villarreal have 39. Shooting up to 78 seems crazy to me. In the last few years I don’t know of any Champions team with 78 points that hasn’t finished either first or second. You have to put all that in perspective. We’re lacking four, but the others also have four or five more. Anyway, there are 19 games left, so we’ll have many finals at home, many direct finals that we’ll have to go through with our supporters and we’ll need lots of energy to go into those finals with life.”
To finish, he was asked about Elías and Juanfran, the team’s new signings. “They’re footballers with a good level and simply have to get to know the system and their teammates, but they know La Liga and what the team means. They have the quality to play at Atlético de Madrid”.
With respect to the absences of Reyes and Agüero for the opening match of the second round of league play, Quique Sánchez Flores said that “they’re important absences but we’re going to try and send out a combative side against a young, dynamic and energetic squad. After so many games in such little time we want to put on a team with energy.”
As Perea already stated on Friday, there are 19 finals left, and the manager agreed on this point. “All of the matches are going to be important. Obviously we’d like to win them all, but that’s going to be tough. Therefore, the most important thing is to find that line of balance and consistency. The terms with respect to last season have been turned around. Back then we had to divert the main goal and look at others, and now we’re back to normal. Titles are expensive and difficult. But we’re focused on our main goal of the season. The team is aware that there are 19 games left and although all of them are important, some are more than others, especially those against direct rivals at home, and that makes the second half very attractive.”
With regards to whether last Thursday’s effort could take its toll on his squad, the head coach commented that “they’re a bit worn out because we were playing a very physical and strong side, and we made the big effort we had to to try and stay in the qualifying round. But we have to recover because we live on this and we train so that we can overcome physical exertion. There will be no excuse in that sense. We have to come out with energy and play a good game.”
He praised the work of his counterpart, Manuel Preciado. “Sporting look good to me. I can’t imagine them without Preciado. I think that he is very Sporting and Sporting is very Preciado. They’re a team that is very dynamic at home, move a lot from the midfield forward, interchange positions a lot… they like back-and-forth matches. They’re a squad that doesn’t close out games and open them up constantly, and really run wild in attack when they play at home. We’re going to try to control their best weapons and attack their worst defects. And that’s how we’re going to try and plan the encounter.”
Quique Sánchez Flores continues to believe that his team is in a better spot right now than at the same time last season. “We began the season with high hopes and after winning the Super Cup and starting out strong, we thought that everything was possible. But circumstances resituate you during the season. I think that if the team is amongst the top four at the end of the season that we’ll have accomplished the Club’s basic goal regarding economics, future expectations, signings for next season, growth of the squad and revaluation of the players. Being sixth right now, fifth or fourth, honestly I think that it’s important to be close, like in any race, but the important thing is where we are in four months and there’s a lot left.”
He stated that the team is missing five points. “We should have earned five more points. If one wants to be in Champions you plan on needing 70 points at the end. And, finally, due to circumstances, right now we’re missing five or six points. It’s also illogical that teams such as Villarreal have 39. Shooting up to 78 seems crazy to me. In the last few years I don’t know of any Champions team with 78 points that hasn’t finished either first or second. You have to put all that in perspective. We’re lacking four, but the others also have four or five more. Anyway, there are 19 games left, so we’ll have many finals at home, many direct finals that we’ll have to go through with our supporters and we’ll need lots of energy to go into those finals with life.”
To finish, he was asked about Elías and Juanfran, the team’s new signings. “They’re footballers with a good level and simply have to get to know the system and their teammates, but they know La Liga and what the team means. They have the quality to play at Atlético de Madrid”.
