Michelle: “This is the finale of enthusiasm and motivation”
He Girona, who is living a dream campaign, wants to continue his story. They visit Mallorca this Wednesday in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey and, if they win, will reach the semi-finals for the first time. Michel exudes humility, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have confidence and a hunger for fame. The goal is very gratifying, and the campaign that the Girona bloc is signing gives a reason to make the dream come true. The coach has ruled out Juanpe, who will be injured for two to three weeks, and has doubts about Eric Garcia. Tomorrow a decision will be made whether to take the risk or not, but everything indicates that he will be “save” for Sunday’s championship match against Celta.
Ups and downs against Mallorca: “Juanpe will miss two to three weeks. David Lopez and Tony Villa continue to recover from injury. The rest are fine. Eric Garcia is questionable because we’ll see how high the risk is for tomorrow’s game. At centre-back we only have Daley Blind and the reserve team guys. Otherwise everything is fine, with great enthusiasm.”
Problems in the center of defense: “David Lopez still has two or three weeks of vacation. A blind man risks everything. Antal is starting to play, and there are also Monjonel and Biel, who can compete with us. But without David and Juanpe in this position now we have problems.”
Atmosphere in the locker room: “There is no euphoria. We are very excited. This is a special match for us because we have never reached the semi-final of the Cup, for us it is a final of excitement and motivation. There is no euphoria because this is a different tournament and we need to play a great game because Mallorca is a very strong team at home. They have great players and we need our best version. This is the only way we can make history.”
Type of match against Mallorca: “Mallorca are a great team. Right now he is playing with four players inside which could be Costa, Morlanes, Darder… he could also have players with depth like Amat, Dani Rodriguez and Antonio. In addition, he has three central defenders with a big game in mind. Their striker is capable of holding the ball and from there they can generate football. It will be a great game, challenging. We need our best version. The possibility of reaching the semi-finals is an exciting challenge for us, we want to make history. The reality is that the team is going through a very good moment and we want to get to the end and make history. “We are motivated and very excited.”
Excitement before the Cup: “I have always attached great importance to the Cup and I have always had the feeling that the team wants to go through and do well in this competition. For me, the game of the week is tomorrow, then we’ll think about Celta.
Winter market: “It is clear to us that we need players not for the present, but for the very near future. If it’s appropriate at the moment, great, but we’re in no rush. We don’t want to rush, and in this case the sports management is doing a brutal job. I’m very happy because if we bring a player in now it will be because he will spend two or three years with us and improve the squad. It won’t be a patch to cover the holes.”
Pressure to continue making history: “There is no pressure on us because these players have fierce passion and ambition. Achieving one of our goals will not stop us. The team continues to do good work every day.”
Team: “The idea is that players feel like they are in control of what happens in the game, and when you feel powerful, there is no doubt and no pressure. We place great emphasis on performance rather than results. The team dominates the action and that’s the biggest power you can have as a player.”
Possible rotation in goal: “We have three goalkeepers of very good quality and tomorrow we will decide. I already have it in my head what I will do. But first I have to tell them. Whatever happens, I hope this question will be asked in the semi-finals.”
Team fatigue: “The next task for the team is to make history in the Cup and that is why for us it is a game of motivation and enthusiasm. Reaching the semi-finals is a historic challenge for us. I have a feeling that motivation and enthusiasm are better than the fatigue that a player might experience.”
Possible similarities to a match from the past: “It’s like the Eibar game last year or the Rayo game the other day because it’s all or nothing. It’s far from home. This is a match that gives a ticket to the semi-finals, but first you need to win. This is a game against a very strong opponent located outside the field. To me it may seem like a game with Eibar, there is excitement there. Passing is very important, but you won’t achieve anything. You need more. Walk through first, and then we’ll see.”
Named list: Juanpe out, Eric Garcia questionable
Michel presented a list of those who have been called up to Mallorca and Eric Garcia appears on it. The centre-back appeared to have recovered from injury, although Michel could have left him in the stands at the end. Tomorrow it will be decided whether there is a risk of leveling him up and giving him one more game of rest in order to be able to be one hundred percent against Celta on Sunday in the League. The one who is safe is Juanpe. The centre-back asked to be substituted in the first half against Sevilla and will be out for two to three weeks. David Lopez and Tony Villa are also absent due to injury. The registered player is from a subsidiary of Monjonel. Antal and Artero remain. Thus, the final list of those called up included Juan Carlos, Gazzaniga, Fuidias, Miguel, Arnau, Stuani, Tsygankov, Dovbik, Borja Garcia, Valery, Aleix Garcia, Savinho, Blind, Pablo Torre, Ian Couto, Yangel Herrera, Eric Garcia, Solis , Ivan Martin, Porto, Monthonel, Antal and Artero.
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