UD Almeria centre-back Rodrigo Ely has caught up with the media in this atypical winter break, now that it is coming to an end, and highlighted ‘we’ve made the most of this break to continue improving and perfecting tactical aspects.’ The Brazilian central defender, who has given a press conference, has admitted ‘we’ve worked in a skilful way and we’re going to give it our all to continue growing as a team.’ 

Regarding the friendly matches, the Rojiblanco footballer stressed that both Torino FC 1906 and UD Almeria were very physical in their game, something that he considers as ‘thorough preparation to go into the fixture against Cádiz CF in form.’ Ely also values highly positively the fact that he is playing over this mid-season period against rivals who compete in Europe championships and who are from other countries because, as he explained, they demand more and motivate you enormously. 

The Lajeado native has the appointment with Cádiz CF in mind and has stated ‘we’re hoping to put an end to our losing streak away from home, because we’d also have an edge over direct rivals.’ On this subject, the Brazilian commented ‘We must keep on improving as we were doing before we reached the break,’ and for this scoring on the Matchday outings is key. 

The former Brazil U23 international was asked about his head coach Rubi and he did not hesitate to answer ‘I’d renew his deal for many more years to be able to build an even bigger UD Almería squad. He’s doing a great job. If anyone needs proof of Rubi's genius as a head coach, promotion to the top flight is it. On a personal level, the UD Almería defender expressed his feelings about living in South Spain once he has settled in: ‘I’m really comfortable and happy in Almería. It’d be amazing to continue here for many years to help the Club continue to grow and dream of bigger things.’ 

By the way, the 29-year-old player pointed out ‘we’re in a very complicated competition, but we must fight as much as we can to stay in this league. The sky’s the limit. Not only we’re a group of nice people but also good players.’