LOPETEGUI: "WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF MATCH WE'RE GOING TO FACE TOMORROW"

20/11/2020

The manager spoke about the squad for the Matchday 10 fixture tomorrow evening and fixture congestion

Julen Lopetegui has given his pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow's LaLiga match against RC Celta de Vigo, which will kick off at 18:30 CET. The manager began by talking about the squad's fitness after the international break: "Some of them have returned better than others, that's normal, some have played more than others, had longer journeys, etc. From today until tomorrow we'll assess the state that everyone's in and pick the eleven. There are some doubts added to all that as we try to get closer to the idea we have for the starting eleven".

Lopetegui responded to questions about Idrissi and Jesús Navas: "Idrissi now has the all-clear, he's trained with us since Monday and he's available. The pace of the game and everything else, that's something else, because he still hasn't played. In principle, he'll be part of the squad and we'll see during the match if he can come on or not. We haven't ruled out Jesús, he's trained today and we'll make the decision tomorrow. Suso is ruled out as he's hurt himself again. If Jesús isn't available then another teammate will play and he'll have all our confidence. We'll look for solutions to see what we can do".

"The alarm will go off for everyone and they have to be ready for what's coming, it will be very demanding"

The manager then spoke about tomorrow's match and the upcoming fixtures: "The main thing is looking forward and focusing on the next match. There are matches every few days for many weeks and all that will help us is by focusing on the next one. We have to place emphasis on recovery, workload etc. Then we have to know that the alarm clock will go off for everyone and they have to be ready, because it will be very demanding. Now it's time for Celta, for me they're one of the LaLiga sides who play football the best and they're coming here with the new manager boost, they'll be even more dangerous".

Lopetegui again spoke about the fixture congestion his players are facing: "I think it's complicated, the time is what it is, it's a new situation and everyone wants to make use of their right. The player has two legs, two lungs... that is going to be seen now in the form of injuries, the player will suffer. I don't have a magic wand to change that. I understand it all, but the excessive number of matches is what we have. As long as it's possible, I think we have to try to protect the player, the question is whether it is possible".

"Celta have very good players and the manager that's coming in has a philosophy that suits them"

Returning to the visit of the Galicians, the manager stated that "Celta have played well in matches and because of the circumstances they haven't had that luck. They have very good players, some internationals, and the manager that has come in has a philosophy that suits the type of players that they have. We know what kind of match we're going to face tomorrow and we have to be ready to give a response, be focused on ourselves and interpret the match well".

To finish, Lopetegui spoke about Monchi's words in an interview last week: "I have always felt very well-backed by the whole club and Monchi, of course. You're always thankful for those words and even more so when they come from someone as important as him"