First team

JOSÉ CASTRO: 'PATIENCE IS KEY FOR THIS TEAM'S GROWTH'

03/10/2018

The President spoke to the media on arriving at Krasnodar airport, leaving it clear that 'we are going to give it our all, as always, in our tournament'

Given that the team left Sevilla very early this morning, José Castro's traditional appearance took place on the team's arrival in Russia: 'We're very excited as it's our favourite tournament and after some tough knock-out rounds and the great game at home we're going to give it our all, as always, in our tournament.' The President referred to the clear step forward taken by the team in recent matches: 'The team is on the up in La Liga and the Europa League and we're happy with the good play and our ability in front of goal.'

Castro believes he knows what has been the most important thing in this evolution: 'Patience is key. We put together a strong squad to be able to achieve big things, but that doesn't happen in a day. We played poorly against Getafe, but the team is facing up to that in the face of some big injuries.' Furthermore, he didn't shy away from what the team's goal in the tournament was: 'The objective can only be to win it, but there are other teams like Arsenal or Milan. It's going to require a lot of effort and we have to go about it bit by bit. Having said that, we have to give it our all, definitely.'

The President is not surprised by the team's level: 'I'm not surprised because, with the plan over the entire summer and the demanding Sporting Team, things start to bear fruit. The plan has to be evaluated over time and with results. We're third in the league and fighting in the Europa League. The plan will be put to test out on the pitch where you can't fool anyone.

He spoke about the man of the moment: 'André Silva is here as a result of the Sporting Team, he's on loan but we have an option to buy and he's doing very well and scoring many goals. We're very happy and hopefully he continues in this way, but we have to be patient. While the results arrive, he and his teammates will demonstrate why they are here.' Regarding contract renewals, he was optimistic: 'We're always optimistic and now the players are focused on La Liga and the Europa League. This doesn't mean that negotiations have stopped, I'm sure there'll be progress.'

'We're very happy with André Silva's performances and we hope he continues in this way'

He finds the change of mood to be natural: 'That's football. One day you have a bad match and then in three days everything has changed. Football is about results, but you need patience and to let people do their work so that our work over the summer can bear fruit.' Finally, he admitted he wasn't sure what Machín would decide tomorrow: 'We've played with the same players in a lot of games and I'm not sure if he'll rest some tomorrow, but the players are giving it their all until the injured players return. We hope that two or three will be back after the international break.'