SÁNCHEZ FLORES: "THERE IS A DIFFERENT MINDSET IN THE CUP, THERE IS NO PRESSURE OR TENSION."

Quique Sánchez Flores, our head coach, spoke to the media at his Wednesday afternoon press conference prior to tomorrow's Copa del Rey quarter-final at Atlético de Madrid. He began by stressing that "we have to move on, there is no other option. This is an exciting chapter at a very tough place to go, against a side that has established itself at the top level and is currently in extraordinary form. However, we must use the experience and history that we have behind us to our advantage in this game."

"We are two teams that know each other well and play against each other every season. We are also two coaches who know each other well, and I don't think there will be any room for surprise, with the same set-ups and similar lineups. Both sides have the same objective, to reach the semifinals, although the wider context of the season is different for both teams. We are in a difficult situation that is affecting us a lot," Sánchez Flores continued.  

"We already know what our objective is in LaLiga and now we have another aim in the cup. We are going to fight right until the end."

Sánchez Flores also added that "the cup requires a different mindset, there is no tension or pressure. Naturally, the match will be demanding and have different characteristics, but we will go there to show the best version of ourselves and produce our best football. The other reality [in the league] exists, it is daunting, looming and it doesn't help us. But, if you talk to the players you know that they are capable of believing they are the better team every time they play. The fight will be agonising until the end of the season. We already know what our objective is in LaLiga and now we have another objective in the cup, which we will try to fight for until the end."

"[As coaches] We are here to train. The best teams in our league are those who have a clear gameplan, and that usually goes hand in hand with a coach and a style. Every team that doesn't have this clarity suffers as a result. Some fanbases don't deserve that insecurity, and one of them is ours. They should have the peace of mind of having a solid team that is always looking to progress, and that should be our job," said our coach.

"We played well against Getafe with the pressure that we were under. We'll try to approach the upcoming game in the same way."

"The message to the fans is that we need them to push us on and be with us. Tomorrow is what is most important, it is what is ahead of us and we can't afford to be looking ahead to Sunday already. We played well against Getafe with the pressure that we were under. We'll try to approach the game in the same way, just like in Ferrol, at a stadium where they have not lost in more than a year. We are going to do what we have always done which is compete," he finished by saying.