Mendilibar: What worries me about Osasuna is if they come with clear heads and are focused on winning
The SD Eibar coach has called up all members of his squad and will announce those to be left out on Monday
Speaking in his pre-match press conference prior to Monday's clash against Osasuna at Ipurua (20:45 CET), José Luis Mendilibar today revealed that his biggest concern about the Navarran outfit is the possibility that, "they have clear heads and come here focused on winning".
The Armeros' boss revealed that he will call up all members of his squad - he currently has a full squad available to him, with no players unavailable through suspension or injury -, before announcing those left out on Monday. The final training session of the week will be tomorrow's closed-door session at Atxabalpe.
"You might think that we come into the game on good form and that it's not the case for them. But they'll come here really fired up to get that first win under their belts. They've got an almost fully available squad and have had two weeks to prepare for the game. They'll be tough opponents. They won't come here and wait for us to attack, they'll come out and look to get at us. They'll have just one thing on their minds and that's to win the game".
"Although they haven't got off to the best of starts results-wise, there's still a long way to go and knowing the character that they've got at Osasuna, they won't be satisfied with what they've achieved and will work really hard to stay in the division".
"What worries me is if they come here looking to get at us, if they've got clear heads and are focused on winning. If they come here with fear, it'll make things easier for us. They're a brave side, with some adventurous lads. When they lose that bit of boldness is when they struggle to get into the opposition's box and they end up making mistakes at the back. They're the sort of team that performs better and compete much better the more adventurous they are".
Mendilibar went on to reflect on his time in the Osasuna hotseat in the following terms, "We spent four years there, two full seasons, another half year and the other wasn't even a quarter of a season. As a club, I know Osasuna well, although there have been changes amongst the directors and many of the playing staff. It was a real achievement for them to gain promotion last season".
When quizzed about the point his side picked up a fortnight ago at the Bernabéu, he insisted that, "we've almost forgotten about that match. I don't think that any of them will have that draw on their minds. It's been two weeks since that game and I haven't seen any of the players getting above themselves in training or anything like that. We're ready to go out on Monday and win the game".
In reference to the role that the less regular starters in his squad have to play, he underlined that, "they're competing very well. I don't have any concerns when I play one of the players who don't usually start because they're training and competing very well. We lost against Málaga but competed well. Whenever there are weeks when we've got games every three days, I'll continue to do the same thing because it makes us a better, stronger side and gives us a greater chance of winning games than if we put out the same players".
When asked about the Copa del Rey tie against Sporting Gijón, the Eibar boss declared that they're a side "from the same division as us who'll have the same desire to progress to the next round. Instead of having to arrange friendly fixtures to allow the players to play, it's better for us to have competitive games. The aim is to progress through the rounds, without setting any targets, so as to give us a couple more games".