Rubi: ‘We’re going to play a game of enormous difficulty’
The UD Almeria head coach has full confidence in his team, but also praises FC Cartagena, rivals to take into account
Joan Francesc Ferrer Sicilia, ‘Rubi’, has spoken to the media prior to taking his side to take on FC Cartagena on Monday, 16 August (kick-off 10pm/ Spain Time), and has not hesitated to classify the opening game as a match of ‘enormous difficulty.’
The Rojiblancos’ gaffer argued ‘They’re a team that I like a lot. They’ve got a very modern idea of the game and the team has been reinforced with important players. Last season, they already had a good squad that has now been improved with players who played countless minutes in Primera Division.’ In addition, as he added, ‘their head coach works very well and as we could see last campaign, there’s a symbiosis between the team and the fans.’
Meanwhile, Rubi has full confidence in UD Almería and pointed out ‘the vibes I have before the start of the championship are really good. We’ve worked very well during the pre-season and there’ s an atmosphere of tremendous enthusiasm within the dressing room. All of this strengthens, but it has to be demonstrated on the field.’
With regard to the friendlies against Málaga, Cádiz, Betis ... and the possibility of keeping that good form in the league, he replied ‘it’s what we’re looking for and I trust it, although it may not happen at the beginning. The first fixture always arouses anxiety to start off on the right foot, regardless of other factors. We’re going to try to control all this and become the best version of ourselves.’
UD Almería kick off LaLiga SmartBank yet again as one of the favourite teams to achieve promotion to the top flight. When questioning this topic, Rubi commented ‘it’ll be like this all season long. We have to put it aside. It’s clear that we have the willingness and hopes to reach high levels, but we cannot be with the same thing every day. In this league, all the teams play football, they all reinforce themselves… each game is a different story. We already know the difficulty and the equality that exists.’
Rubi is more than satisfied with his group of players highlighting the human aspect. The head coach does not want a big squad so that everyone feels like protagonists and those Almeria ‘B’ players have their opportunities, although he would like the arrival of some more pieces that could provide experience. He knows that the Club is working on it, but also that the transfer window is complicated this summer.