Kiko Ramírez: «We need to be at 200%, 100% is not enough»
Kiko Ramírez met the media ahead of CD Teruel's trip to the Estadio Cerro del Espino, where the rojillos face Rayo Majadahonda this Saturday 19 September at 16:30, on matchday four of Primera Federación. The Teruel coach began by rejecting the label of direct rival and warned about the standing of the opposition: “My direct rivals right now are all of them. Rayo are a side to be taken seriously, not long ago they were in the Second Division and we should not forget that. They are a big club.”
The coach placed the focus on his own team and on the level of commitment he demands from the dressing room. “As I have told the players, I am not going to hide. We need to be at 200%, 100% is not enough,” he stressed. Ramírez made clear that this effort goes beyond the physical: “It is not only physical, it is mental, it is about being switched on, about controlling the situation, about knowing what is happening.”
The coach explained frankly why efficiency is decisive for his squad. “We have good forwards, but we do not have many forwards. That is the reality,” he acknowledged. “Being clinical is very important for us, and that is why we have to be at 200% and keep a clean sheet as well. When they score against us, it costs us more than any other team.”
On his plan for a demanding pitch, Ramírez set out the keys to the game. “The plan is to put our players in the best possible position defensively and offensively, to work that moment with the ball as effectively as possible, creating problems for the opposition, and to control the transitions,” he explained. He highlighted the opponent's approach: “They are a team that plays good football, that has good players, a system and a style of play. They want to take the initiative.” And he set out the rojillo recipe: “We are going to have to be very focused when we do not have the ball so as not to let them move freely, and play our cards when we win it back.”
The coach delivered good news on the fitness front. Andrés Borge and Santi Borikó are now available without limitations after overcoming their problems, and the only absentee remains Sander Ballero, who will begin individual work on the pitch next week. Ramírez welcomed having more options available: “It is good news because it raises competitiveness. When there is competition and it is hard for the coach to pick the eleven, and he has options on the bench, the team benefits. I am much calmer, much more convinced and much more motivated, because I can start with one team and finish with another at one hundred per cent.”
Asked about how the players are absorbing his style of play at this stage of the season, the coach also noted progress in physical terms. “There are already players with three 90-minute games behind them and that is important, that gives you a bit of body,” he said, before recalling the foundations of the project: “The basis for achieving the big objective is working very well without the ball, being very supportive, being a team, competing in every match and not letting the opponent take advantage of your shortcomings or your mistakes.”
Ramírez closed his press conference with a reflection on the season and on his own role at the head of the group. “I know very well that this is a marathon, a long-distance race. I know very well that not every result is going to be positive, that there will be good runs and bad runs. The important thing is to stay calm, to arrive at every match at one hundred per cent and, when you have a bad run, to try to make it as short as possible,” he explained. “I am the image of the dressing room. If I get nervous, if I lose my head, the team does not respond.” And he left a final message about the group he manages: “It is a great group. I am a privileged man.”
