Martín Demichelis spoke to the media in his pre-match press conference ahead of our clash with Elche CF. Find out what the boss had to say below:
On the squad: "Everyone wants to be here. And that's very important to me. When you win, the atmosphere is different and there are fewer problems. Asano also trained today, which is great news. He, Marash, and the suspended players were left out. We're together and united."
On external noise: "I read very little, if anything, so as not to be influenced in my work, which is preparing training sessions, the team, etc. Elche and nothing else."
On areas for improvement against Espanyol: "We played against a very good team, and they have the points they do for a reason. They stole the ball from us in the opening minutes, and it bothers me when we don't have it, but we were organised. Even at halftime, despite being down, we had about 60-40% possession. Possession doesn't guarantee winning; I like my teams to be able to dominate. But without the ball, we hardly suffered. I wasn't worried about what we did without the ball, but we have to keep improving defensively. We also need to improve on how we had possession in the first half without creating too many dangerous chances."
On Elche: "It's a good opportunity. "We've had another very good week, so we're going to Elche with high hopes. We start matches thinking about winning; then we'll see how the game unfolds."
On the record against relegation-threatened teams: "It's not my place to talk about what happened before I arrived. What I can say is that we played two good matches against two good teams. Elche is our next opponent, and they're a team that will come out to win, so it will be an exciting match."
On if it is a final: "It's a crucial match that could give us some peace of mind or show us that we're still in the fight. Nothing will be easy in these last 10 matches, but I see a very committed team that's training better and better, and all the injured players are doing everything they can to be fit."
On injury status: "Asano trained fully today, and Marash [Kumbulla] is very close to returning. We hope that next week he can participate in some training sessions with the team so that he can train like a normal player during the week of competition."
On Javi Llabrés: "He had the misfortune of experiencing discomfort in his quadriceps during our first or second training session, which sidelined him. He trained very well during the week, and that's why he's been called up."
On the RCD Mallorca team he wants to see: "I hope to see a Mallorca side that reflects on the pitch what they train." Changes in formation or players: "Mojica is suspended, and Toni Lato plays tomorrow. The rest of the squad doesn't know who's playing."
On the physical condition of the team: "Sometimes the physical aspect is largely mental. I see a team that's doing well, that wants to grow, and that's responsible given the situation. The physical aspect is very important for a team to perform well. You have to know how to approach each match and circumstance. The more attentive and focused you are, the better you'll be physically."
On his work ethic: "In the circumstances we're in, the sum of the details will tip the scales for or against us."
On Jan Virgili called up to the U-21 team: "On the one hand, it's positive. The negative is that I won't see how they train because, for me, you play how you train. In these two weeks, we tried to be demanding with Jan in a situation where he was regretful, but I think he learned from it."
On Sergi Darder: "He wears the number 10, he's a player of stature and experience, and a coach has arrived who hasn't started him in the first two matches. It's his time to show character and personality. He's training very well, and I've used him as an example all week. And Abdón too. I need him to keep training this well. He could be in the starting XI."
On Martin Valjent's call-up to the Slovakian national team: "I'm very happy for him. I didn't know him as well as I do now. He's pleasantly surprised me. We have a complete center-back, and he has a great willingness to learn. I'm happy with players like him."
