The club’s sports management took stock of a chaotic transfer market. Monterrubio assured that “we arrived a month late, we had fewer resources and less timebut I think we have resolved the situation quite well. The ratings are posted in June because last season the pessimism was the same at the beginning of the championship. The main difference I see this season is that mistakes are penalized even more.
The market
For Monterrubio, “we have maintained last year’s philosophyWe are the second youngest team in the category, surpassed only by Mirandés, we have players with ambition, the ability to improve, who have enthusiasm, we do not look at players who are returning, who are at the end of their career, we do not propose retirements to Córdoba. Sometimes an exception could be made. “We opt for a reduced squad, this allows us to spend our resources better and have better management of the dressing room.”
He also revealed that “There are players with whom we have negotiated and who have ended up in the First Division and others who preferred to choose other projects in Seconde. However, not all good players fit into our team and there are others who are inaccessible to us. “Signings do not depend only on us, nor on our financial resources.”
He took the opportunity to send a “message of tranquility, of confidence. I understand the frustration or disappointment after the match of the last day, the team was not bad against Mirandés or Burgos, but at least they competed. We have absolute confidence in the team and in the coach, it is only just beginning. Monterrubio asked for “a little patience because the team is adapting to the category even if the level of demand remains the same.
Antonio Casas
Monterrubio clarified that “the possibility of Antonio Casas leaving on the last day was zero, we cannot get rid of a player from Córdoba, from the Second Federation, without the possibility of replacing him with a replacement of guarantees, the only option was for them to pay his release clause.” If a similar offer had arrived a month ago, it would have been valued, it is our obligation. Maybe it would have been possible if we had found a reliable player with that money.
Juanito added that “the idea with Casas is to be able to renew him, he has been here for a long time, he has achieved important objectives for the entity, he has always scored goals, thanks to his performance.” He has given and continues to give because since he was little, Casas has this ease of scoring a goal. Each player is free to decide his own destiny, he will have expectations that can change, the player himself is most interested in doing well, he will have even more offers and we will also benefit from them.
Mourad and the third attacker
Regarding Mourad, “we were in a last-minute operation, but we did not like the conditions they gave us, clauses that put the club in serious economic danger, we had a closed agreement with the player and we tried it until ten minutes.” before closing. Mourad’s arrival did not caused Casas to leaveThere was a financial agreement, a player agreed, contracts signed, it was done, the problem was with Elche, this makes us think that they did not want to get rid of the player, they asked us for things that we could not accept.
Juanito assured that “we tried the third striker, I think that from there also, as a strategy, they played with a possible desperation, we could improve the squad with Mourad, but we were not desperate. “It gave us different characteristics, we tried and everything was done, but the conditions were not as agreed.”
Free players
Regarding the free player market, the sports management commented that “integrating an unemployed player makes us hesitate a lot, most are conditioned by age or inactivity, many have not even done the pre-season with a team. There are others who have trained and who can be an alternative. We have experience of cases where it has not gone well. If any deviations occur during the season“In the January market we will try to correct them, it is early to think that something is missing from the team even if the last match did damage.”
Monterrubio finally confirmed that an attempt at negotiation had been made with Sergi Guardiola, who finally signed for Rayo Vallecano because Cordoba cannot meet the salary demands of the former Blanquiverde striker, although “the club is still looking at the market”.
The model
Regarding the squad, Juanito stressed that “we have a game model and it has to be the same, we would be wrong if we tried to play differently as we did in Elche, within that limit of having a young squad, there is a disadvantage due to inexperience, but it is punctual. When you train, you train in demanding conditions. The players are better prepared physically, we need strength, size and youth. We have tried to sign a player who is not a veteran and who is in Oviedo (Sebas Moyano), this was attempted, but he decided to choose another project.
The disaster in Elche
“The start was not positive, but this year the objective is different, the team’s image in Mirandés and Burgos was good, but no one is happy with the image against Elche.” What surprised most was “the inferiority complex that we had, that’s what caught our attention the most, but we don’t worry if it doesn’t happen again, it’s solved as soon as you win a game.” For Monterrubio, “we lost three points in a painful way but it is nothing more than that. After Elche we only lost three points, we do not see this inferiority, we have analyzed the squad, player by player.
“It’s not because I’m young or inexperienced, it’s not mathematics, there are things that may seem to take away from you, but we think there are others that add up. We can’t think about what we have, there are 39 days left, we all have an interest in this going well, we have to achieve that unity, that everyone rows in the same direction. Patience and tranquility.
Too many bets
For many fans, the current Córdoba team does not have the necessary level to compete in the Second Division. Juanito stressed that “you can only convince people by winning games, I’m not going to convince anyone with words, what matters is what we do tomorrow.” We always have the feeling that we see others as very good.I refuse to think that we will suffer and fight throughout the season, but we are realistic, we are not going to look at first and second place. “Sometimes things are exaggerated, we are not that far from the others.”
For Monterrubio, “this is the team we have put together, it is true that some lack experience in the Second Division, but they will compensate with ambition, hunger and the desire to grow.”
