Míchel Sánchez: "We are working to improve"

Míchel Sánchez appeared this Saturday in a press conference ahead of tomorrow's match against RCD Mallorca, a duel that the coach considers key in a moment of maximum demand for the team.

The coach acknowledged that the current statistics are not positive, especially in both areas: "We are not a team that creates many chances, even though we are often in the final third of the field. We lack energy in the final phase of the game and have conceded too many goals in transitions." Despite this, Míchel wanted to convey a message of hard work and self-criticism: "We have clearly identified the problem and are working to solve it. If we don't change, it will be impossible to improve on what we did last year."

Looking ahead to the new year, the coach hopes for a change in trend: "We hope that in 2026 we will be more accurate," while insisting that the absolute priority is tomorrow's match. In this regard, he confirmed that Livakovic has permission and could leave, which forces the club to stay alert regarding the goalkeeper position, although Míchel wanted to downplay the importance of the winter transfer market: "It is very complicated. If we focus too much on it, we won't be focused on the upcoming matches. My responsibility is to continue improving the team and making it more competitive. It is more important to find solutions from within than to wait for them to come from outside." Regarding specific names, he explained that Echeverri has permission from Manchester City to train with the team.

As for the opponent, Míchel praised Mallorca, which he considers a very complete team: "They have great finishing, cross very well, and have strong players in the areas. They press well, play forward, defend with order, and have experienced players. Muriqi or Virgili create a lot of danger." In light of this, the coach emphasized the importance of possession and defending while looking forward: "We need to play in the opponent's half and press well after losing the ball. We struggle a lot when we fall back."

Finally, Míchel highlighted the importance of the upcoming commitments: "The next two matches are very difficult. We need to win because finishing the first half of the season with less than 20 points is a tough figure. The league is very tight, but we need to add points to reach 42 and maintain the category. What we have done so far is not good, and that's why we need to improve, starting with tomorrow's match."