Juan Merino went on to cover other issues now that he has taken up the reins of the Real Betis Balompié first team. The coach from Cadiz, expressed how enthusiastic he was, highlighting the importance of the match against UE Llagostera, vital in the team's fight for promotion:

Are you worried about being a caretaker manager?: “I'm not worried. As coaches we have to prove ourselves. Juan Merino will have to prove that he wants to be amongst the elite. When I was a player, I won my battles and made it through to the elite. Although I have some good experience, I still have some way to go until I feel the necessary consolidation. I have to keep working and improving. The situation will be maintained by winning matches. I want to win and my team has to win matches”.

What do you think about a possible return of Pepe Mel?: “He is a manager we all respect. He is well loved here. I wish him all the best. If he has to come, I will be grateful like any Betis supporter and anyone else for that matter, always wanting the best for Betis”.

Julio Velázquez's farewell: “It was cordial. He is a professional with flawless manners. He tried to do the best he could. You are not dismissed by the Board but by the results, luck wasn't on his side. He wished me all the best. He is a gentleman”.

Shortcomings in the team's defence:  “If they all defend, from the forwards to the goalie, they will all benefit from it. If they all attack, from the goalie to the forwards, they will also all benefit from it. We often blame the line of four when your rival is getting into the area with ease when we are not helping from the forwards all the way back. We have to work as a team knowing that when we put more pressure on in the midfield, their forwards are going to get less good passes and, consequently, less scoring opportunities. That is the type of collective support everyone will benefit from”.

Juan Carlos Ollero, the new president of Real Betis Balompié: “Tome he seems to be a sincere and honest person. He is transparent and that is the sensation he gave to the team. It has given me great strength. He is a logical person and has clear ideas, and that gives me a lot of confidence".

Do you know what your starting eleven is going to be on Saturday?: “I have my ideas about the team, who I can use and those I can't. My work depends on what happens in the training sessions, which is the only place a player can gain an advantage over a teammate. I can have an opinion from what I have seen from outside, but it is the coach who works with the players on a daily basis who knows them best. You can have one concept of players when you see them from the outside, and get a very different one when you work with them on a daily basis. I get a lot form the training sessions, and the intensity. I also notice which players are more implicated, who create more competition. Here we compete in training. If a player plays well, he will most likely play again next Sunday, but the training sessions are there for something. Likewise a player may play a really good match but then in the training sessions does not perform well and loses intensity. If he dos that and doesn't perform like hi did on Sunday, in the end it will prejudice the team and he will not play as well. The trainig sessions define the team that needs to be fielded”.

Betis B players for the first team: “I have always set their objectives on a daily basis. The best of them will be the ones who have more chances of being with the first team. It is a prize that has to be earned. The Betis B coach is the one to indicate who is better, because he is the one who knows them best. Those who are starters in Betis B will be much closer to the first team. There are a number who have the ability to do it, and we will evaluate the possibility of bringing in that we may need at any given time. I believe that young players should get the chance to play. If there is any doubt in my mind and I feel that a player isn't ready for the first team, I would prefer him to play full matches with the reserves. At the end of the day what a young player has to do is play”.

Training session open to the public: “I am in favour of them being always open to the public. Today was an unusual day, so we kept the doors closed. A player has to live with the messages the fans give out, whether they be to say how unhappy or pleased they are with the situation. Training sessions are also the place to learn how to deal with these situations. The players have to participate in everything that can be improved. Except for days when we are working on strategy and we need to keep a hat on things, we would prefer the sessions to be open to the public”.

Will there be a lot of changes int he starting eleven compared with what Julio Velázquez fielded?: “I do not know yet whether there will be a lot of changes with what Velázquez did. That doesn't worry me. I have seen a great attitude in all the players. I will field those who I think are best at the time. Some may coincide with what Velázquez did. Of course, every coach works differently. The concepts are completely different, but we all look for intensity. Julio Velázquez's ideas may be different from mine. However, we have seen great team on the pitch with different, or even the same players, who have had different attitudes. If a player does not have the right attitude and is not playing well, it is not normal for him to continue as a starter. I have not taken time to analyse which players have played more or less with Velázquez. I have ideas about the team because I know them perfectly well”.

How do you propose reducing the tension with the fans?: “With results. In that respect Betis fans are no different to any others. Of course, they are different in how much they support the team, but at the end of the day it is the results. If there are results, the fans are not only the twelfth player, but the thirteenth and fourteenth. But if the results are not good and the fans are divided over other issues, it is only natural that there is more tension than in a normal season. Good results will resolve the tension issue, nothing else. There have been other really good professionals in Betis who have not been fortunate with the results and that has cost them dear. They can take solace in the fact that they gave 150% for this Club. For me it is about winning, Saturday's match is going to be like a World Cup final. That is what I have told the players”.

Which coach has had most influence on you?: “There have been many. You get something from them all and then there is our own character, habits and discipline. Lorenzo Serra Ferrer had a profound effect on me for what he did and what he transmitted. I also got a lot from Marcelino for his vision of football and how he trains. Lucas Alcaraz, Clemente and Luis Aragonés have also made their mark. I am fortunate enough to have made records of all the training sessions and noted everything down. Sometimes you get things from that, but you are always learning. A good manager is the one who manages to bring together the good things from all of them”.