‘We’re going to play against one of the best sides in our subgroup on Sunday’
Fernando Santos highlights that the homegrown players cannot wait to face Mancha Real with ‘great, renewed enthusiasm’
‘We are going to play against one of the best sides in our subgroup on Sunday, because of the squad they have built’ were the statements made by coach Fernando Santos, 'Nandinho', just before the weekend that will mean that the UD Almería ‘B’ team are back in the thick of the action competing in Tercera Division (Spanish football fourth-tier).
The Portuguese head coach stressed that the players cannot wait to face matchday-one ‘with great, renewed enthusiasm’ since the youth team boys played their last official game more than six months ago. Just in case, he attached importance to the need to ‘slow down a bit’ to avoid feeling overconfident during the encounter.
The Academy Almeria second-team head coach also responded to questions related to the possibility that some youngsters who are usually training along with the first-team, even though they signed for the ‘B’ team, may play some minutes in group IX ‘A’ within Tercera Division (fourth-tier) at some point in the season. Consequently, he pointed out: ‘Basically, if they are part of the second-team squad, they can always play. I haven’t spoken with the senior team head coach yet, but I’m pretty sure that two or three players who could contribute a lot will be able to play with us.’
Fernando Santos, ‘Nandinho’, regrets that the Rojiblancos are playing their game behind closed doors, while other clubs competing in the same subgroup will have their fans’ support. ‘Personally, I’d like some of our fans to be there cheering on their team, because football without them is not the same really. The rules should be the same for everyone, though’, he concluded.