Pepe Mel: "The victory was just a drop of water in the desert, the challenge now is to win at home"

Once the first victory of the season has been finally achieved, UD Almería will look for the domino effect in the next match: 'What we did in Las Palmas was just a drop of water in the desert; it's evident that it's helped us to boost the players and Club's self-esteem, but we must continue with a new challenge, Pepe Mel told UDA Radio. 'The new challenge is to win in our Stadium and for our people to feel the taste of a home victory when the referee whistles the end of the game, the head coach added.

 

The new UD Almería head coach only thinks about the here and now. Myopia better than presbyopia. See clearly what is close even if what is most distant appears blurry: 'In any professional discipline you have to fight until the very last second and our thought is none other than to play and compete in each match, as we'll do against CA Osasuna. The team has to start to 'give everything to encourage their fans beyond the final result in June. I reckon it's important that there's hope for the future and that means winning games.'

 

Although Mr Mel made his UD Almería debut last week, it is precisely now when he has to keep up the good work after the first-team decisions from last week: 'I've spoken with all the players to explain the plan and my way of understanding football. There are no two matches that are the same, nor does UD Las Palmas have anything to do with CA Osasuna; each one has its own characteristics and the important thing right now is to work and impress the head coach so that I can make the final decisions, which is what I've been hired for.'

 

The interview with the Club's official radio station has served to get to know his playing style: 'I like to be close with the player so that he knows what the coach wants to do, regardless of whether he agrees with me or not; I like the bond that he knows the reason for my decisions and I consider it to be the right path.'

 

If all the homegrown players that Pepe Mel has made them debut formed the same football team, we would have a spectacular squad. The Madrid-born has confessed where this daring for young talents comes from: 'I'm a Real Madrid CF youth player. I spent there 12 years and at that time, the first team was an impossible wall to jump over because it was full of quality players. I consider myself an Academy head coach. I truly believe in the good work that the youth football coaches do and the value of their work has to be given to the first-team manager; the fantastic work that Marcos Peña's coaches have done is worth nothing if the senior team head coach on duty arrives and he doesn't give him the opportunity. I don't give anything away. In my first game what I wanted was to win and if I lined up Peña, it's just because he deserved it.'

 

In this interview, Pepe Mel touched upon more interesting topics, including the secrets of a good selection of substitutes in the dugout: 'There are three key things: how you treat the player, your relationship with those who don't play and knowing how to transmit values.'