Garitano: ‘We have to give our best shot and win the match’
Garitano: ‘We have to give our best shot and win the match’
The red-and-white manager warns that ‘you can’t trust a single-goal advantage’ and highlights his team’s commitment to the chance of making it to the final of the King’s Cup (Copa del Rey): ‘We know what is at stake’
Athletic Club’s coach, Gaizka Garitano, appeared in the press room at Lezama just 24 hours before the second leg of the semi-final of King’s Cup against Granada CF (Thursday 5, Nuevo Los Cármenes,9pm).
‘We are here, along with the teams that shown strongest mentally. We, in particular, have faced extreme situations in this competition. You don’t get this by chance every year and we know what’s at stake’, said the red-and-white coach.
When asked about Athletic’s 1-0 lead in the play-offs at San Mames, Garitano replied: ‘You can’t trust a one-goal lead, you gotta play well and win the match. We’ve trained for the clash as we normally do: playing and scoring as many goals as possible and trying to get the least number of goals against.’
The field factor doesn’t scare Garitano, ‘as it’s the players who decide on the field. We’re born competitors, we like these situations. That’s why you take the decision to become a player or a coach, just to take part in this kind of matches’. The coach concluded by pointing out the special colour of the match in Granada: ‘It’s not easy to be in front of such an opportunity with this team. In the dressing room, everyone is a friend, someone from home, some are even neighbours, friends from childhood, raised and trained here. That’s priceless’.