Antonio Hidalgo: Sevilla put you under huge pressure | OneFootball

Deportivo coach confirms Gijselhart’s possible departure and assesses the physical toll of a midweek matchday

Deportivo de La Coruña coach Antonio Hidalgo spoke to the media to review the current situation of the Galician side on the eve of their clash against Sevilla. The Catalan manager discussed the squad’s physical management during this midweek round, assessed the level of the opposition, analyzed individual names such as Fofana and youngsters Mella and Yeremay, and confirmed the imminent loan departure of midfielder Teun Gijselhart.

Squad momentum and managing fatigue

"We have positive feelings because we’re in a good moment. The most important thing is to keep getting players back so they can arrive in the best possible condition. We’ve barely been able to train. We know how difficult it is to play during the week."

The impact of the schedule on the team’s freshness

"If you have five days, you have no problem recovering. Today, for those who played on Sunday, is the worst day, and that leaves you less fresh to compete. A midweek round this early... We’ve practically just come out of preseason, and there are players who aren’t at their physical peak yet. You have to make a lot of adjustments and see how they recover. We won’t know that until tomorrow morning."

The value of the early run and keeping the focus on the present

"We have to appreciate what we’re doing, but that’s already behind us; we have to focus on what comes next. Sevilla are a top-level side and have been doing things well. They have a very clear playing pattern. We have to find the opponent’s weakness."

Ximo Navarro and Miguel Loureiro celebrating the win against Villarreal. Source: RC Deportivo

The connection with the fans after several weeks away

"It helps so much to feel our people close; we’re looking forward to it because we haven’t been together for 3 weeks now."

Sevilla’s collective strengths

"Sevilla have started in great form. They’re performing at a very high level and putting their opponents under a lot of pressure. They press very high and are a very well-drilled team. That reflects very well on their coach’s work. I know the club perfectly because I spent a year at Sevilla Atlético, and they have a competitive gene that they keep imprinting more and more. I’m glad things are going well for them."

The family and professional bond with the club from Seville

"My parents are from Seville. They treated me very well there. Some members of the coaching staff who are there now were with me at Sevilla Atlético. I’m very fond of them."

Antonio Hidalgo during his time at Sevilla Atlético. Source: Sevilla FC

Fofana’s threat in central midfield

"He’s very powerful, a top-level player, and he gives them that extra edge and presence in midfield, but they have a lot of players of a very high level, including academy players who give them identity. We have to place a lot of emphasis on being very compact with and without the ball."

Rotation plan for the starting eleven

"We’ll see how they recover. With three days and preseason only ending a short time ago, it isn’t easy. We’ll see how everyone is tomorrow morning."

The transfer market situation and the Teun Gijselhart case

"Teun wasn’t in training yesterday and wasn’t there today either. He has the club’s permission to negotiate a loan move; we’ll see how it ends."

Teun Gijselhart during training. Source: RC Deportivo

Marc Casadó and José María Giménez adapting

"I actually spoke with them today and they told me they felt good the other day. In Giménez’s case, he was coming off a normal preseason, and Marc’s case was different, but little by little they’re taking on what we want from them, both physically and tactically."

The role and current situation of Mella and Yeremay

"They’re both ready to start. They’ve been working well. We have to gauge at what point in the match they can help us most. That’s something we’ll assess tomorrow morning."

Handling the international break in the top flight

"For those of us dealing with the day-to-day, these weeks involve a lot of work, a heavy physical and mental load. This doesn’t happen in Segunda; this isn’t there. Things are set up the way they are. We’ll look for the best way to maintain our competitive edge."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.