LOPETEGUI: 'THE FIRST OBJECTIVE WE HAVE AGAINST ALAVÉS IS TO BE TRUE TO THE ESSENCE OF OUR GAME'

22/05/2021

The coach offered his last pre-match press conference of the season

Julen Lopetegui appeared before the media this Saturday afternoon for the last pre-match press conference of the season. The coach began by discussing tomorrow's opponent, Deportivo Alavés: 'Tomorrow is the last game of the season and we will go into it with the motivation and desire to play a team that has made steps forward with Javi Calleja. They have evolved and secured their safety with character. We will try and play a good game against a team that has been liberated from that pressure and we will stay true to the essence of our game. We were the team to start the season and now we will be the team to end it.'

In terms of what state in which his players arrive to the game, the coach said we would have to wait but that Fernando was the main doubt: 'Everyone is available. Fernando has a problem and we'll have to wait until tomorrow, but everyone else is ok. Jesús has played a lot of matches lately, and we hope he has equally many matches in the Euros. When we make the decision we will need to have things like that in mind. Mentally, we are prepared for a great game. Grades are given out at the end of the season by the professor, and in this case the fans and the media are the professors. I personally give my players the top grade in a long and demanding season in which they have maintained their passion, mentality, and ambition. I give them the best grade but that's not for me to do, and we still have tomorrow's game.'

'Alavés secured their safety with a lot of character'

Returning to the game on Sunday, Lopetegui highlighted Alavés' strengths: 'I think it's a very different team to the one we faced in the first half of the season. They have secured their safety with a lot of character. They will be a different team with a different coach who has done an extraordinary job. When a team is freed from this pressure, they can perform at a higher level with the players feeling more confident. We have to prepare well to end the season as we want, which is with a win.'

Lopetegui said he would watch FC Barcelona's game but that it would not change his mentality ahead of Sevilla's game on Sunday. He was also asked how he managed to keep his team fighting until the very end of the season: 'The main quality is resilience. Being able to overcome tough times through belief and hard-work, without looking beyond the present moment. We can improve as a football team, but so too can every team. We want to consolidate what we do well.'

Julen also spoke about Jules Koundé's call up to the French national team: 'Anything that's good for our players makes me happy. Koundé's work has been giving constant fruits. He can still improve a lot and he understands this profession in the right way to keep growing and improving. We are really happy for him.'

Ending the press conference, he spoke about Francesc Arnau who sadly passed away recently: 'It's a hard blow for everyone. I knew him, we were together for a year and a half in Barcelona. He was doing a great job as Sporting Director and this has hit us hard, you're never prepared for news like this. His family are in my thoughts because these things are really tough to accept.'