Let’s get straight to it. Levante, Villarreal and now Mallorca. Nine goals scored, only one conceded. What is your secret?
Do what you always know how to do. It doesn’t matter if we play in the King’s Cup or in the championship on weekends, we have a very programmed game model: passing the ball around, playing football, toque. We have benchmarks that we repeat against a La Liga team or our championship. And there, we are super happy, because it works very well. We repeat what CD Mirandés did a few years ago (two semi-finals and a quarter-final of the Coupe du Roi in the 2010s, Editor’s note). Since the change in the format of the Copa del Rey, this is the first time that a Segunda B team has gone this far. In Spain, small teams like us start at a disadvantage, because they have to face big clubs directly. (there are fewer participants than in France, Editor’s note). This gives even more merit to what we are doing. It’s something big. We are proud.
Your coach wants to play a positional game inspired by Pep Guardiola. You win with 73% possession against Villarreal, 3-0 against Mallorca. This model works in Coupe?
Yes, totally. It’s one of our keys. We play this get-right against everyone. The team gets along very well. We work on this game model on a daily basis, we know it by heart. Every day, we adhere more and more to what the coach tells us. It’s the football that we still play and that we don’t want to change. We have fun. In the Cup, it’s complicated to pass a lap, but even more so in this way. We could have passed with difficulty, without scoring, or through penalties. But here, we are looking into the eyes of three teams from higher divisions. They failed to impose their game in our stadium. It also shows the quality of our players.
You seem sure of yourself, is that also a strength?
We are footballers who have a very good level, that’s for sure, but that is not our only strength. True strength is having fun. We are on a good dynamic: we have only lost one match at home this season. And then the people here are all super happy. Giving pleasure to those who come to see you week after week is one of the best things in the world. The other day, the atmosphere was crazy at Pasarón.
You will face Getafe in the round of 16 and you are now nicknamed the “Giant Killers”. Are you dreaming high this season?
Our first objective remains the promotion to the third division. We are first at the moment, we want to stay that way. The Copa del Rey is a competition to enjoy. We play Getafe in the round of 16 (Wednesday January 15, Editor’s note)with the idea of being the best possible and giving everything. Getting this far is already crazy, we must be happy. We will play with the desire to win and play our football, to be as competitive as possible against them. We face the players we dreamed of being one day, against the teams we dreamed of playing for.
Otherwise, what is Pontevedra like?
It’s a quiet town, quite precious. The old town is splendid, but above all the surroundings are magnificent. We are also lucky to live in Galicia, a region that smells of football. Little ones play in the streets, people recognize you and send you support every day.
Villarreal gets eliminated from the Copa del Rey by a D4 club
