The Real Betis Balompié manager offered a press conference at midday prior to Sunday's match against Girona FC. Velázquez, aware of the fact that the team needs to get a victory after having suffered two consecutive defeats, gave his opinions on a variety of issues such as the arrival of José Luis Molina as Technical Secretary and the morale of the team in the face of this fifth fixture in the 'Liga' Adelante (the second division).

José Luis Molina, the new Technical Secretary: “I am delighted with the relationship I have with Alexis since I came here, and with the work he is doing. As for José Luis Molina, he is an excellent professional, with a tremendous work capacity and a very significant knowledge of the transfer markets. I felt very much in tune with him when I was at Real Murcia. He played a significant role in the good season we had. I am pleased that he has come here. I am sure that in tandem with Alexis they will do an exceptional job”.

Sidelined players for the match in Girona: “Álex is coming along well, I expect him to be back with the team next week. Then there is Piccini, who will be off for a while so that there are no complications with the discomfort he is suffering”.

Xavi Torres: “He is coming along, in all likelihood he should be available for the match. He participated in yesterday's session without problems. He should be ready for the match”.

Lolo Reyes: “We will not know until the last minute. He has not worked on the pitch yet, so we shall see how he does tomorrow. He still gets a little dizzy when he runs, he is still suffering from some after-effects. We will not make any decisions until we see how he is tomorrow”.

How is the team?: “They seem very responsible and keen to start the match. All the players are eager to give the fans some good news, they will give it their all right from the kick-off and try to win. The group is very motivated and looking forward to the match”.

Is Sunday's match like a final for you?: “It is an important match both for the team and the Club. They did not perform well at all in the last match. The team is keen to put the last two matches behind them and give the fans something to celebrate. That is why, for me, this is an important match over and above anything else”.

Your players have defended you during the week: “You have to be grateful whenever someone speaks well of you. There is a marvellous team spirit. I am very pleased with the players. We have to step up to the line and start to get a run of positive results. We have to go all out to win, to compete and let the team show what they are capable of, but there is no pressure, nothing like that”.

Will there be a lot of changes in the starting line-up?: “I don't think there will be too many changes. We do not know if we will be able to count on Lolo, and N’Diaye has a one-match suspension. We will field the most appropriate starting eleven for this match”.

Rubén Castro: “He is an extremely committed player who brings a lot to the team. We can consider him both for the wing and the forward line. We are considering a number of possible solutions which we have been working on all week. At the end of the day it is all about fielding a coherent team”.