‘I'm happy with the work done so far, but we still have a long way to go’
Fernando Santos positively values the Almeria B preparations and the first friendly played in El Ejido
Fernando Santos, ‘Nandinho’, head coach of the UD Almería second-team, was ‘happy with the work that the squad are carrying out during the pre-season’, although he acknowledged that ‘we still have a long way to go’.
The club’s official media caught up with the Almeria B head coach after the first goalless friendly match in which the youngsters faced CD El Ejido. During the conversation, the Portuguese head coach explained: ‘the most important thing for us was the competition and getting back on the pitch for some action because we had not competed for six months.’
‘Nandinho’ got ‘good vibes’ throughout the friendly played at Santo Domingo stadium located in the town of El Ejido (Almeria) highlighting, above all, ‘the defensive organisation with which El Ejido, a more experienced team, were not allowed to create big chances.’ Hence, the Portuguese coach added: ‘There were two different parts clearly. We dominated, controlled the ball and created big chances in the first-half, while we were losing momentum during the second-half with under-19s youngsters playing.’
On that note, Fernando Santos confirmed that the Almeria Under-19s players’ performance was up to standard, a fact that led him to point out: ‘’These games are absolutely good for them because they will make them grow professionally, so that when the guys have to play, they will feel ready.’
Moreover, the Almeria B team head coach has no doubt that the UD Almeria second-team will be definitely extremely competitive during the tournament. In point of fact, the Portuguese did not hesitate to emphasise that ‘we’re going to build a good team and we’re also going to be competing with the best to bring joy to our fans.’
In conclusion, the head coach of the UD Almeria Academy first-team made it clear that the backroom team will continue planning more friendly commitments this pre-season that aim ‘to allow the dressing room to not only feel ready but also well-prepared, which is the most important thing.’