With his team struggling for form, Michel also has only 12 senior players available to face Slovan Bratislava. However, speaking to the press today, he insisted they must treat the occasion as something special.
Squad status:
“We haven't got anyone back and we've lost Abel Ruiz due to abductor problems. Neither has Misehouy because he can't be there. Marc Aznar, Arango, Selvi and two goalkeepers will come from the reserve team and we have to consider them. Even so, we have eleven players to form a starting eleven.”
A 'final':
“Both teams have lost both games. To have a chance of getting through to the next round, we need a win. Beyond the team's form, the standings tell us that we have to get the three points.”
Demands for the players:
“I don't know what the outside demands. Ours is to give our best. I'm clear that we're the most humble in the competition, I don't know what people think. Slovan played against Celtic and City, it's not easy, I've seen both games and also Slovan dominating their competition. In the dressing room, all the players know that we have to give our best for ourselves and our people.”
Making history:
“Playing in the Champions League with Girona can't be just another game. I don't want to tiptoe around this competition and for people not to give it the value it deserves. It's a lot of merit for what we've done and also for the club, which has made efforts, a lot of people behind it and we have to enjoy it and value it. For me, tomorrow is a very special day, like the two previous games."
Slovan Bratislava:
"They are a team that has possession in their league, not in the Champions League where they have been defending more. They are dominant and have differential players on the wings and in the attacking midfield. They have a lot of level, we must press very well, have solidarity without the ball and be overwhelmed and under pressure at every moment of the game. If we don't achieve this, they are a physical team and they will cause us problems."
Tight schedule:
“I am adapting as I can, and also with regard to injuries. Tomorrow we will train to make the most of every minute of training and have good tactical sensations. A lot of video, I know it is boring for the player, but we need to make things clear in some way since we don’t have time on the pitch.”
Arnau:
“I don’t have many options. Not just the full-backs, we are a team that seeks the opponent’s goal, to be dominant and for that you have to have a mentality. Arnau, Francés, Blind, when they have played as full-backs, have the characteristics of having personality and looking for ways to progress with the ball. Arnau is important in this and is one of the young players with the greatest intelligence."
Six defeats:
“We have lost half of the games. I evaluate game by game. Against Feyenoord we didn’t deserve to lose, against Atleti we lost some moments, against Real Madrid we had chances… We competed well. Is there room for improvement? Yes. Now we are looking to move away from relegation but I think we will end up at the top of the table, it’s easy to say but we have to keep working.”
Without rest:
“Everyone is fine. The player is ready, we have to control the training loads and we have to take care of our heads so that the player recovers well after defeat or victory. We have players with character, I don’t see anyone looking bad and everyone is fine. We have to recover and play, we only have 12 first team players on the field for tomorrow and we will make the changes thinking about the game.”
Without wingers:
“We have to look at whether the idea is on the field. Playing or not with two forwards doesn’t mean that you have more depth. What is needed is to recover depth without wingers although I am clear that we are a team that reaches the opponent’s area well. Afterwards we do need to complete the last pass, the last shot, etc.”