Garrido: "The first thing that we should do is believe that we can win tomorrow"

"We must think about how to cover the absence of Xavi Torres", recognised the Real Betis coach

The Real Betis Balompié coach attended members of the press in the press room at the Benito Villamarín Stadium to preview tomorrow's match against Real Sociedad, the sixteenth fixture in the Liga BBVA. Garrido spoke about the continued need to regain confidence and self esteem, as he considers them to be a necessary prerequisite to getting positive results and pulling the team out of the bottom spot in the league.

Listed players: “I have been here for just over a week now and it would be true to say that we have not been fortunate enough to have all the players 100% fit. I understand that they are important players because of their quality and presence in the team. The Club has a vested interest in these players. There is a process in which a player picks up the pace in order to be available, like what happened today with Molina and Rubén. On the other hand, Guille Sara has been in hospital with a viral problem. He is not able to compete”.

Improvement so far: “I have to insist on having some time. I understand that my work is a process. The style of play that I want for the team should not be comparable with others. I have every respect for what was being done before. I am going to need time to correct the things I want to correct. One of those things is to improve self-esteem and confidence. The players have to believe that they are better than their recent performances would lead us to believe. A lot of the players have a much better level than what we have seen of them recently. We should be auto-critical to some extent to see in what areas we can improve. On Thursday we did a lot of things right but which had little affect on the outcome; however, the few things we got wrong became a huge problem and had a much greater effect than it should have Still, it is not all psychological".

What does Betis have planned for tomorrow?: “We want a competitive team, one that knows perfectly well that they should mix the styles of play we are aiming for as they understand it is part of a process. You have to combine the need to play well with the need to get more points which will come when we know the right style for us. The team has quality to compete against any team in the First Division. We believe we need more efficacy scoring goals besides having a more solid defence”.

Regaining confidence: “We should be taking on matches with the confidence and ambition to win them. You do that by playing good football. We need to be well organised and have clear ideas when we are on the ball. When we manage to do that we will get good results. Hopefully we will get them soon. We want to get points right away to prove that we should be higher up in the league table”.

Psychological factor: “We need to rebuild the players' self-esteem so that when they are playing matches they believe in their chances of winning. The first thing that we should do is believe that we can win tomorrow”.

Real Sociedad: “We are playing against a very dangerous team, we know the qualities of their players, particularly up front. It is a team that has been working well over the last few seasons. It is not going to be easy. The team has an open and attractive style of play. We want it to be a good match, and of course one we win. Real Sociedad is having a good season. The Champions League is demanding but I don't think we should look for any similarity with the past”.

Midfield competitiveness: “In the last two matches I have had to make decisions in which I have been forced to make some rotations. I have a lot of players for the centre midfield so I have to choose. The player who is doing the best in this position is Xavi Torres, which goes to show what a setback his injury is. Lolo has the instinct to know when to move up the pitch. But first of all I would like to send my best wished to Xavi and my hopes for a swift recovery. We have to reflect on the possibility of having to reinforce that position”.

Is the centre midfield to be strengthened?: “Xavi Torres has a specific position on the pitch, a specialist. We need another specialist. To strengthen the position we need to have the right player. When we know for sure of a player who can really help us in this area that that will be great”.

Real Sociedad's offensive side: “Their forwards are known for their speed and the ability to destabilise opponents. The team is well balanced in all their lines. But as things are we cannot choose our rivals. The most important thing is that we walk out onto the pitch believing in ourselves. We can compete against any team and we should start to prove that we can beat teams at the top of the table too”.

Anger amongst the supporters: “I understand that the fans are angry with their team. We need them on the positive side to support the players when they most need their support. That can also be improved. In tactical terms the most important aspect is to improve organisation in the defence. In attack I want to improve creativity which will allow us to pull of quick pieces of play”.

Are you mindful of other matches?: “We always have to keep an eye on everything. The first thing we have to do is improve and believe in our selves more. With an improvement in that area and playing good football we will get the results we need”.