SÁNCHEZ FLORES: "WE HAVE TO BUILD ON THE CUP WIN, WHICH IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT"

Quique Sánchez Flores spoke ahead of this Sunday's league match against Girona FC, which will kick-off at 21:00 at Montilivi. Our head coach began by highlighting the importance of using Tuesday's Copa del Rey victory at Getafe as a launch pad to to improve league form: "Winning is always the most important thing, we have to get used to it. The Getafe game, which was very tough, should make the team aware of their strengths. Undoubtedly, it's something to build on. We focus on improving our own game rather than the opposition, and we are making small steps in the right direction. We want to keep this trajectory going. Every time we win, we must build on it, which is the most difficult thing to do in football. We must try to improve our position in the league and, beyond the good work we are putting in, I put the result first ahead of the performance."

Sánchez Flores also wanted to talk about Sunday's opponents: "Girona are a great team. They dominate all areas of the pitch. Michel is doing a fantastic job, at a club with an attractive philosophy, and now that he has the best players he has come across in his career, he has great opportunities to do something big." As for Nyland's return to training, our head coach is happy with the Norwegian goalkeeper's work: "He is training well, his return has been great news. We will wait to see if he will be ready for Sunday. What is important is that he's recovering."

"What is important is that our main players are recovering"

Asked about the current state of the squad, Sánchez Flores assured that "I always speak with the boys, I like to know how they are - fitness wise and just in general. Many of the players are in their own recovery processes, but ultimately they are the ones who know when they're ready and when they're feeling 100%." With regards to the January arrivals, our head coach discussed the integration into the squad: "We've played a few friendly matches in training to see how they play and the chemistry they have with the others, it's a good way to see how they adapt to their new environment. Hannibal Mejbri is technically very good. We're all getting to know how the new signings play."

Sánchez Flores then talked about the Copa del Rey ahead of the quarter-final draw: "It is a competition that motivates us as much as it does the fans. We will definitely be up for it. It is a one-legged tie and that match will be another final for us." Finally, he expressed the importance of incorporating young players, such as Isaac Romero, into the first-team squad: "Having the freedom the youngsters show on the pitch is very important, but it is also vital to make sure that they adopt the correct professionalism. It is a great opportunity for them to adapt or develop areas of their game and they always come with a desire to succeed. This is exactly what we've seen from Isaac so far."