Mel spoke of tomorrow’s clash against SD Huesca as his team’s immediate team objective. "If I were a fan of this club I would be looking forward to new team project because they have been working really hard in pre-season and are fully ship-shape and raring to go despite the setbacks over the summer".
As for the players from the second team, he stated: "It’s wonderful to be working with young players such as Pedri, Fabio, Kirian and Josep. They believe in you, they turn corrections into positives, they are all keen footballers, and this is contagious. That is positive and it pulls the rest of the team forward. They need to be managed properly to show them the right way forward".
UD Las Palmas are facing a team that were relegated last season with a trainer, Michel, who worked under Mel when he was manager of Rayo Vallecano and who he knows well. "Huesca have had a good pre-season, and have looked good in their last few friendlies. Míchel likes to play possession football and keep the ball for long periods".
Referring to Rubén Castro’s chances of starting the match, he said: "Rubén is one of the 12 players available. It is absurd to think he is a hundred percent. Given we are short of players it is important for him to be here, whether he starts or not. Rubén’s fitness levels are not ideal because he has not trained during pre-season", he admitted.
In terms of possible playing styles, Mel explained "intensity is not negociable. We cannot burn ourselves out on the pitch. We all need to run together in attack and in defence. It is really hard to play with two forwards when you haven’t got any. We are looking to be compact. It is a pity Cristian Cedrés is out, as he gives us pace down the wings".
As for other issues, Mel said "everything UD Las Palmas does for David García is fully deserved. He is a club player through and through. He should receive affection from everyone at UD Las Palmas. It is very complicated these days to have spent your entire career at one club, and David has done just that", he concluded.
