First team

DAVID SORIA: “THE TEAM IS PLAYING AT 70 OR 80 PERCENT”

07/08/2017
The goalkeeper, who started the match on Sunday against Everton, emphasises that the team's overall game “is going well”, although is missing “a bit of power in certain areas”

A starter on Sunday against Everton in the most recent fixture of pre-season, David Soria gave his thoughts not only on the match aganst Ronald Koeman's boys, but also on the level the team has reached following just over a month of work. In fact, the keeper estimated that the group “is playing at 70-80 percent” and that the only thing lacking is “a bit of power in certain areas, but with training that will sort itself out”.

That was the case this weekend in both friendlies, against Southampton and Everton, with the Spaniard starting against the latter and, following the match, describing it as “a god match to grow, to keep working on our pace, and to get to a good level as a collective. You don't have to look too much into the results during pre-season, but rather at how the team play, which I think is rather well. We're missing something in terms of power in the two halves of the pitch, but otherwise we're pleased going forward”.

"Sergio and I have healthy competition, and from there it's up to the coach to decide"

He has shared playing time with Sergio Rico, who played the full 90 minutes of Saturday's game, and with whom he claims he has “healthy competition, without any problems. Each of us gives are all and from there it's up to the coach to decide”.

Overall, Soria highlights the good level the squad has offered overall over the friendlies contested up to now: “Our feelings, despite certain results, are good, we have possession of the ball... maybe we lack that, the power on the pitch in certain areas, but with training that will sort itself out. I can see that the team is working at 70-80 percent at this stage of pre-season”.

"All the work we're putting in is so that we can be happy with ourselves"

A percentage which he predicts will increase before the first official match, the first leg of the Champions League play-off in Turkey on Wednesday the 16th: “That's the objective right now, to get through that tie. Obviously it isn't the same as playing a friendly, it requires a lot more intensity and concentration, but otherwise, everything we've been working on is so that we can be happy with ourselves”.

Asked about Banega, the best player on Sunday at Goodison Park, the goalkeeper affirmed that “watching him play was like a show when he left, and will be again now he's back. He always adds to the quality of the team, we are happy to have him and hopefully he keeps putting on a show”. Both he and Banega are part of a dressing room which he described as “healthy, good, united and in which we're all working towards the same goal. The adaptation of those who have arrived, in fact, has been very good”.

To conclude, he also spoke about the change of manager: “Everyone has their own way of thinking, their little obsessions, their way of playing and you have to adapt and and make the best of every situation to keep learning and growing”.