Eibar's pre-season gets up and running
The squad completed a double-session day with workouts at Atxabalpe and Ipurua led by Mendilibar
Today saw SD Eibar begin their pre-season preparations with a double session. The squad trained at Atxabalpe in the morning, whilst Ipurua was the setting for the afternoon session.
José Luis Mendilibar - who is embarking on his third season at the helm - had a full squad available to him, minus the injured Yoel, who is to undergo knee surgery tomorrow and Fran Rico, who is recovering from a knee injury. Charles and Pedro León didn't train with the rest of the group as they're currently working their way back to fitness following niggling knee injuries.
Taking their places alongside the 15 squad members who continue on at the club from last season were new signings Marko Dmitrovic, Iván Alejo and Charles Dias de Oliveira, as well as Jordi Calavera, Unai Elgezabal, Roger Escoruela and Jon Ander Amelibia, who spent last term out on loan at Segunda and Segunda B Division clubs.
Speaking in a press conference prior to the session held at Ipurua, José Luis Mendilibar insisted that "We're not starting from scratch because the club is in a solid position and the foundations are in place", before stressing that "this doesn't mean that we'll fare any better than we have done".
"There are 12 of us clubs that are candidates to go down, of which three are ultimately relegated. Regardless of whether you think you've made some very good signings, you're in the same situation as the other eight, nine or 10 teams who'll all be there fighting. Our 10th-place finish from last season doesn't cloud my judgement. There are 12 teams, three of which will go down, and if any of the remaining eight don't perform well, they'll also struggle".
"I hope that the players that we've got here train well and we work our way through the pre-season games as the new members of the squad gradually start to take on board the way we want to play. All of us coaches have our own playing style. I always say to the boys that they need to pick up each coach's ideas as quickly as possible".
In reference to the remaining business to be done in the transfer market, Mendilibar stated that "You've got to try and sign good players, regardless of the division that they've been playing in".
"You can end up going out and signing big names and they can either come in and deliver or fail to do so. We've got to try and sign good players for the first-team squad, without looking at their age, background or where they've come from. You have to bring in players you think will do well in your team. The example of that is (Florian) Lejeune", who joined the club from Segunda outfit Girona, and after one season at Ipurua has gone on to sign for Premier League side Newcastle United.
Mendilibar expressed his desire to see the members of the feeder team squad continue to train with the first team on a daily basis, which was a feature last season, "and for one of them to make the step up and be registered with the first team. I'd like to see a player who's with Vitoria at the moment become a first-team player by December or even now or next year".