Jagoba Arrasate was on pre-match media duties ahead of our trip to Valencia CF this Sunday. Find out what the boss had to say below in his press conference:
On Vedat Muriqi and Cyle Larin: They have physical problems, muscular discomfort. I understand that it's not much, but we need people who are 100% and they are not ready for this game. We have Abdón, Asano and Marc Domènech, who can play as strikers.
On the pair and other internationals: Muriqi tried it today and he didn't have a good feeling. Larin has started training and he didn't have a good feeling either. I don't know what effect the fact that they have been with the national team can have. Mojica is fine, although fatigued. Greif came in with some discomfort, but he's fine. Omar is healthy. I understand that all the teams are the same.
On the match: We want to impose our game, but sometimes there are opponents who want the same thing. Valencia are in a great moment, they are very versatile, they have the initiative, they are getting very good results at home.... let's see if we can impose our style a little bit and when it's their turn to take the initiative, let's stand firm like we've been doing lately.
On Valencia having improved: I think they are very different: there are some players who are different and a coach who has given them a different nuance as well. Right now they are a team with confidence, they can play in different ways, but they are always looking to hurt their opponents. They are very strong at home and it's a complicated game.
On Sadiq and Hugo Duro: I don't know what absentees they might have, but in that respect both teams are similar, but we're not thinking about that, we're thinking about what we have to do well. There are 10 games left, we have a lot of excitement and we need people to be at 100%.
On pressure: You can think that if they have pressure and we have enthusiasm, we can win. But if you see that they need it and we don't, you lose out. We know what the Mestalla games are like and we have to put ourselves in that ecosystem that the crowd will be pressing, that they are going to play at their best. We have to match that and from there, hopefully we'll get the enthusiasm and confidence we have to play a good game.
On Robert Navarro: He still has a few weeks to go. He's started to work on the pitch and that's good news.
On two strikers: We're considering everything. It's true that the other day they played with three specific centre-backs and with Foulquier and Gayà, and we know that it's a line of five. But normally he puts Rioja in there and Foulquier at full-back and they can play three centre-backs and play with Rioja on the wing.... that's why I said it's a very versatile team. Tomorrow when I have the line-up, I probably won't know how they're going to play. They can even change during the match. We have to plan for all the situations. The important thing then is how the players interpret and execute it.
On three central defenders: Tomorrow you will see. In Sevilla and Bilbao we were good and we can continue to play that way in the away games or we can go back to what we are doing at home, because the team is better.
On how to face difficulties away from home: Easy. Seeing the 600 of us who are going to be there and I'm sure we'll get our strength back. It's another sign that people are excited, that they are making an effort.
On Muriqi’s contract: I haven't spoken to him about this. I know what he thinks, but it is a matter between him and the club. Hopefully Muriqi will be at Mallorca for a long time, as it will be good for everyone. He wants to be a legend, the people love him and the coach thinks highly of him.
On Maffeo and the Kings League: I already said that we have to start normalising these things. It was a club issue. The club received the offer, understood that it was positive and after the match against Espanyol it was put to Maffeo. He gave the ‘ok’ and it went forward. I think he played three or four minutes. You have to normalise these things, even if it's hard sometimes. It didn't happen. Maffeo is fine and as of Monday he was already here preparing for tomorrow's game.
On RCD Mallorca B: What I want is that when a Mallorca B player comes up, he is ready. Now Marc is in the call-up list. Jan Salas, Wade have been there and when they have arrived they have been prepared because they have a culture of what professional football is. For me that is very important. I have lived through situations in Osasuna and Real Sociedad where the reserve team was in the Third Division and we have brought many players through to the first team, and others where they were in Segunda B and we didn't bring them through. Therefore, sometimes we only measure the classification. If you're at the bottom it could be for a thousand things, but what I want above all is for that generation of youth players to have continuity, to work well. I have a good relationship with Siviero and I think he is doing a good job. The classification says otherwise, but what I want is that Marc and Jan Salas, if they have to go out, are prepared, and I'm seeing that. For me that's positive and it's much more important than any classification that the reserve team might have.
