Pepe Mel: “The key is to play two good halves"
Las Palmas’ manager explained that his team needs to compete well in both halves of the match, saying "if we slacken off against Oviedo we will be in for a hard time". Mel once again referred to the fact his side have trouble bringing the ball out of def
Pepe Mel appeared before the media in his usual pre-match press conference on the eve of tomorrow’s match, and insisted that as long as the maths "keep giving UD Las Palmas an outside chance we will fight to achieve it". The trainer cleared up the absence of Maikel Mesa in this week’s squad selection, saying "I have a lot of confidence in him and now he needs to feel the same. I think it is good to see the match from his armchair so he can see the needs of the team. After the Oviedo game there are nine matches left for him to show he is an important player for this club".
"When the team has a playing style and a model everything becomes easier", stated Pepe Mel, while he recognised that "if we come away with a win in the Tartiere stadium, we then face Cádiz and we will be in with a chance. That would make everything flow". He also had words for striker Rubén Castro, saying, "he is a player who is under pressure right now, I have told him to stay calm, to concentrate on playing and everything will fall into place".
As for his future, he responded: “I feel really comfortable here, all levels of the club have been available to me for anything I have required, we have a good feeling and that is the most important thing for a manager", adding: "UD Las Palmas as a club has come as a pleasant surprise to me". To finish with he spoke about the arrival of Rocco Maiorino to the club, saying "we have talked about football and we are looking to future as to what will be best for Las Palmas".
