Arnau Puigmal: 'We have things clear; we'll create effective football plays'
The 21-year-old midfielder speaks at the training camp in Montecastillo and states that he is a 'more mature player this season than the previous'
UD Almería continue with their summer preparations in Montecastillo and after 3 pre-season friendlies, the team is already improving some aspects ahead of the new LaLiga Santander season. Arnau Puigmal has chatted to the Club's official media and has given his assesment on how the training camp is being developed and how they'll face the challenge of playing in the first division.
The Catalan talks about how well the team is doing in Jerez de la Frontera, although highlighting the scorching temperatures and the all-out effort to be in good shape: 'Last season, we were in Marbella and this year in Montecastillo. The truth is that the facilities are spectacular. There are hard days because of the heat and the amount of work, but that's what these days are for, to get match fit and also focus on tactics.'
The Club is growing a lot and the players are no exception; the midfielder makes it clear: 'I'm now a much more mature player. Over the past season, I learned so much and I always try to help the team as much as I can.'
Something to highlight about this upcoming campaign is that, at the minute, UD Almería are the second youngest squad in the entire first division: 'We're a very young team. We might not have so much experience in this tier, but we do have the enthusiasm of learning and moving forward. That's vital and it'll help us immensely.'
There are some similarities between LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank. There are also some great changes too: 'Physically, the top flight will be something similar to the second tier. However, the biggest differences will be dealing with the ball and the quality of the players. We have clear things, we know what football style we want to play. In the first division, there are many top teams, but we know what we're going to do, we'll create effective football plays and will have ball possesion.'
Arnau praises Rubi and his way of leading the team: 'The head coach has always given us, attacking midfielders and forwards, a lot of freedom and he keen on continuing to do so in Primera this campaign.'
UD Almería will host Real Madrid CF on the opening day of the league in just two weeks time. Arnau commented that 'It's a real motivation to play against Real Madrid CF, they're the Champions League winners. It's a massive game and I can't wait to play it.'
The former Manchester Utd. U23 player wanted to conclude his interview by assuring 'we have to focus on this forthcoming season. It's only been a month and a half since we gained promotion, but we're here. I'm sure we're going to do well.'