Levski head coach Julio Velasquez spoke to the media before Arda's away game in the 12th round of the efbet League. The match in Kardzhali is on Tuesday at 19:30. The Spaniard said that the “blues“ have already left Thursday's European match behind them and are fully focused on the upcoming clash. He commented on the personnel problems, the busy schedule and the qualities of the opponent, expressing confidence in his team.
Velasquez was categorical that the team must quickly switch from European emotions to the upcoming test in the championship.
“We have completely forgotten Thursday's match. We tried to convey this to the players. We are completely focused on the next match against Arda, a good team. I think this is the right attitude. We are using Thursday's match to show some good things that we did. We have to have the right attitude to control emotions and these situations. Whether you lose, draw, play well or badly, the next day you have to think about the next match“, Velasquez began.
The Spaniard also revealed the situation with the injured players, confirming the absence of Radoslav Kirilov and Assen Mitkov, while the participation of Gasper Turdin remains questionable.
„Kirilov, Gasper and Mitkov will not be able to participate according to preliminary information. When I talk about preliminary information, I am talking more about Gasper, because Mitkov and Kirilov will not be able to enter the group. Gasper is closer, but he is not training with the group today. Our idea is that tomorrow he can train more or less in a normal dynamic with the team. We may want him to accumulate training minutes before he comes in. Tomorrow we will decide 100% what we will do“, said the Spaniard.
The coach paid special attention to the difficulties faced by teams combining European tournaments with the domestic championship, but assured that his players demonstrate the necessary maturity.
“This is in all teams in Europe that are not at the highest level. There is exactly this risk when you have to manage the next match well after a match in Europe. I'm not talking about teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City. I'm talking about the average European level. For me, this is the most important part – "to have the right mentality and attitude, but when I see the way the players accept our messages, how they train, I am fully aware that their attitude, their mentality is the right one. Another issue is the result that will happen. The issue is for us to have the right attitude, to do everything possible to win it. I see the team extremely focused, mature and with clear ideas in their heads," commented the coach of the “Blues“.
Regarding the upcoming opponent, Velasquez noted that Arda has maintained the basic principles in his game and traditionally performs strongly in front of his own audience.
“They have a similar idea. They changed some players. A team that performs well, especially playing at home, will not make things easy for us. We need to understand the match.“
The Levski coach added that he expects a difficult match, in which the right tactical approach and concentration will be of key importance.
„It is absolutely never easy. That is another matter. The most important thing is to have the right attitude, to focus on the things that are important. I see how concentrated the players are. The next step towards that is to be able to understand what the opponent will do.“
Velasquez also commented on the busy calendar, emphasizing that the coaching staff must use the recovery and preparation time between matches as effectively as possible.
„You never know what is better or worse. This is the program they have set for us. It is important to manage the training moments well. If we have 4 days, great“.