Igor Oca: “I'm optimistic that we'll secure that victory and kickstart that positive momentum.”

C.D. Leganés head coach Igor Oca appeared at a press conference on Friday ahead of the team’s match against Albacete Balompié on Sunday (6:30 p.m.) at Carlos Belmonte Stadium, as part of Matchday 20 of LALIGA HYPERMOTION.

The coach offered the following assessment of the team’s current situation ahead of the first match of the year:

Miguel: “When you’re dealing with performances you want to move away from, you talk about the team. My challenge is to get several players back to the level and form they’ve shown. Then there are other players who can help us improve; while we’re with the squad we have, we’re going all out to try to help them improve in whatever way we can. He and others are players who have performed well in similar situations. Any player who steps up to contribute is welcome. We have the ability to create the right conditions for growth, and a win will help us grow.”

Absences: “We’ve got Rubén Peña back after several matches on the sidelines; we’ll see how he’s doing. As captain and a seasoned player, he was helping us even without playing, but now we’ll get much more out of him. We’re missing Miguel and Lalo due to accumulated yellow cards.”

Lucas Pérez: “He’s a professional who hasn’t competed in a while; it’s complicated because he hasn’t played a match in a long time—it’s been a year. And he’s been training with the team since September. We’re proceeding with caution and common sense; we don’t want to jump to conclusions, but he’s in good shape, which is a positive for him and for us. He wants to contribute, and we have needs on the offensive end. We’ll see how things go in the coming days.”

Areas for improvement: “We need to find that connection with the fans; we’re coming off a really great day with them, and it was tremendously positive. During matches, there are moments of anxiety, but you see how the players are so supported and that the fans are really behind Albacete, and I think it’s going to go well. I’m optimistic that we’ll get that win and kickstart that positive momentum.”

Winter transfer window: “It’s a day-to-day thing. Doubts fade when you perform well; we have a few matches ahead of us to show what we’ve got here. We’re the ones who finished before Christmas, and we have enough experience to win the next match by playing well. There are no excuses for the coaching staff or the players to give our best.”

Álex Forés: “I played alongside him at Levante for several years; we’ve faced each other, and I know his background. We know him inside and out, and he’s a player I think can fit in well. Any remaining adjustments are beyond my control, so we’ll just have to wait and see. We're happy with what we've got and what we're seeing”.

Albacete: “At home, the fans support us, cheer us on, and rally around us. But we haven’t picked up the points we should have. We’re focusing on playing away, and I think we’ll see a strong performance. They’re a very solid, competitive team that handles transition situations very well and doesn’t get flustered when they’re not in control. Defensively, they defend their box well. If we manage to win, it would be a step forward.”

Salvación: “We have to face it as a reality, and there are quite a few things we need to improve. The most important ones are what happen in training and during matches. Every day we spend together, the quality of our training improves; we’re in a position to do it this Sunday, and that’s what makes me optimistic and leads me to believe we’ll be very close to achieving it.”

Naim: “It’s important for many reasons. It’s difficult to go from being on loan to performing at a high level when the team hasn’t been in optimal condition. He’s important on the wing, in the channel, or coming from deep as a fullback in a back four. He offers us that versatility. In recent matches, he hasn’t been able to help us fully due to those knee issues, but he’s feeling much better, available, and we’re confident he’ll continue to contribute as he has so far.”

Juan Cruz: “He plays good football, both in inside and outside positions, given his strengths. Depending on the opponent, the demands are different, and you can position him in one spot or another. It also depends on which fullback is playing that day.”

Goals: “I’m not going to waste much time looking too far ahead. We’re in the relegation zone, and talking about other things takes our focus away from the next game. We need to know where we stand today, and we have to win quickly to get out of the relegation zone.”