Garitano: “Mirandes are in the best moment of their season”

Gaizka Garitano has highlighted the quality of Monday’s opponents Mirandes, believing they are “in the best moment of their season”.

In the press conference ahead of Monday’s clash at Anduva, Eibar head coach Garitano spoke of his team’s good form away from home, but he has called for “more offensive output.”

 

MIRANDES

“They have good young, talented players that you need to form a team. The homegrown players are growing during the season. Joseba is managing them well individually as well as a functioning collective. Now we go up against the best Mirandes of the season, and that’s how the last 10 games are going to be. We know that it is going to be a difficult game, but we also have our weapons and we will try to have a good game.”

“They have won seven of their last nine games at Anduva, with a draw and a defeat. They are very comfortable at home, but we are also strong away from home, and we will try to look more at ourselves, still knowing that this is one of those teams that has quality, that they will try to impose themselves, and you have to adapt to what they do.”

AWAY FROM HOME

In the last two games away from home, we have defended well, we have moulded well to the efforts of the rivals. We have competed magnificently, but we have to add more offensive output to that, more arrivals in the box and we have to be more aggressive in attack. To do damage up top is important in these types of games that you know that they are going to do damage also, because it’s a rival that has weapons to generate and take advantage of opportunities.”

“We arrive feeling good, with a solid team. We are playing well, but we are not forgetting what we have to do. We have to do more. We have to forget that we have won those recent games, we have to play this game as if we go into it having lost four or five. That is the hunger that we have to have. That’s what has allowed us to be in first place, and we cannot lose it. We forget about what we have done and look at what we have to do, and that is to win at Anduva. We have to go with the mentality of humility, to work and to know that all the games are going to be difficult.”

LEADING THE LEAGUE

“The higher you are in the table, the more plugged in the other team is. We are also playing that way, at 100% in all our games, and that’s how we are going to play at Anduva. We are leading after 30 games, and we have to defend it to the death. It’s true that there are many teams, there isn’t much between them, and we are first. Tomorrow we could be fourth or fifth. The team has a job, it has everything that can be asked of a team in terms of being honest and working, we don't usually fail in that.”

PLAYING ON MONDAY

“They are Chinese tales, superstitions, fears. It’s the same as Thursday for us, as Friday, as Monday at night as six in the morning, it’s the same. It’s football and those who are playing when we start the game, do not think of whether it is Monday, Saturday or Friday. It’s an excuse. To play football and to do what you like, and to do what makes you passionate…any day is a good time.”