The coach acknowledged that his plan was to reveal little, maintaining a stoic tone in his remarks. He resorted to clichés about the match Real Zaragoza will play this Saturday at 9:00 p.m. against leaders Villarreal B, who have the same number of points and a better goal difference.
“I don’t know what we are going to find. They are very good in many phases of the game. We will try to be superior. We can anticipate certain things, and we have worked on them,” the Real Zaragoza coach said.
Real Zaragoza coach Ibai Gómez during the match against Teruel. Photo: Pilar Álvarez
He spoke very highly of Villarreal B. Judging by his words, they have nothing but strengths. The coach is certainly facing the biggest match of his coaching career, and it showed in the way he expressed himself.
“What worries me most is that we are not as we should be. I focus on my own team. They press well up front, they have individual talent, powerful physical attributes… they are solid in every phase; there is no one phase that concerns me. But I am focused on our own work,” he said.
AN IMPORTANT “BIG MATCH”
Although it is still “very early,” he also acknowledged that he is facing an important clash for Real Zaragoza. “In terms of excitement, mentality and what you see… being alone at the top after beating the leaders is important, but I don’t think our mentality will change if we don’t achieve it,” he said. The objective “is clear” and the reward “is long-term.”
So now comes “the most important match” so far. That is, because it is the next one, since whoever wins “will have to do many things to achieve the objective.” How significant it will be, “the future will tell.”
Ibai Gómez had no hesitation in describing the Real Zaragoza–Villarreal B match as a “big match.” He repeatedly used that description for the clash against the reserve side from Castellón because it pits the teams that have so far established themselves as “the two best teams” against each other.
PLAYING MIND GAMES
After announcing that he would stick to “clichés” throughout the press conference, Ibai also played mind games. He combined “there is one session left and I don’t know what I will do” with “I have the starting eleven clear in my mind, but I’m not going to say.” The Real Zaragoza coach revealed little.
Moreover, Villarreal B coach David Albelda spoke of an open match, and he replied by saying, “I’m going to talk about a closed match.” “We’ll see what happens; we’ll see. We will have to do many things well. Defend very well wherever necessary; when we have to be more direct, we will be; when we have to take risks, we will.”
He also described the Villarreal B coach as “very good,” so Ibai Gómez returned to the “I don’t want to give any clues” line from the start of his press conference. From here, we will have to see what Real Zaragoza sets out in the clash against the reserve side from the Plana Baixa region.
