Real Betis manager Gabriel Calderón is pleased by the positive words of the players, following his arrival at the club, pointing out that a combination of his demands, plus the respect and admiration of those he’s working with, is the surest route to achieving their objectives.
Attending his Friday press conference and also celebrating his 54th birthday, ahead of the trip to face Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday, Real Betis manager Gabriel Calderón was asked if he had any special requests for his special day.
“The best present would be a win tomorrow. I’ve already had a lovely gift from the players, who presented me with a cake after training. That was lovely.”
Focusing on opponents Valencia, a pulsating encounter between two teams on the back of good results, is what Calderón expects.
“They’re a great team. It’s another ‘final’ for us. We have utmost respect for all our opponents and given it’s another ‘final’ for ourselves, we can’t factor in whether we’re playing home or away. We’re going there to win the game, as we must keep getting points. They will have incredible morale after their win at Barca, but we’re also going into this game after our victory last weekend, so it should be a great game.”
Real Betis haven’t tasted victory at the Mestalla in 28 years, which came on Sunday 2nd February 1986. A game in which Cálderon played the whole ninety minutes for the team he now manages.
“Every game is a different story. All records like this can be broken and that’s what we want to do on Saturday. To me, it’s of no great importance, as many things have changed for both teams.”
Asked if he’s mentioned that victory to the players, ahead of the trip to the Mestalla, Calderón explained that all they have discussed is how they will face the game on Saturday, rather than bring up something anecdotal from the past.
“I’ve not said anything to them about that game. All we’re working on is the game itself, with videos of how they play and how we must play ourselves. What we have to work on is counter-acting the strengths of our opponent and bringing out our own strengths.”
Calderón was then asked how important it would be to the improving morale of his team, should they win the three points at Valencia.
“If we win, it will be more than positive. The first thing we had to achieve, was a win after so much time without doing so, to help recover the self-esteem of the players. Now we’re trying to look for consistency that reinforces what we’re doing. That’s the stability we’re looking for. We know the quality of Valencia, but we’re going there with the ambition of winning.”
Since his arrival, the players have been speaking highly about their work with the Real Betis manager. That’s something that pleases Calderón, who believes that a good relationship with the players will help bring about positive results.
“It’s an honour, a privilege and it makes me feel happy. A manager should be both demanding and admired by his players. That balance between affection and respect will bring good results. The players know that if a manager is honest and competent, he won’t gift them places in the team. For me, it’s a compliment that they’re happy. The path we’re on is one that ends with winning. All the players are involved and I have to leave out players, who could just as well be selected.”
Attending his Friday press conference and also celebrating his 54th birthday, ahead of the trip to face Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday, Real Betis manager Gabriel Calderón was asked if he had any special requests for his special day.
“The best present would be a win tomorrow. I’ve already had a lovely gift from the players, who presented me with a cake after training. That was lovely.”
Focusing on opponents Valencia, a pulsating encounter between two teams on the back of good results, is what Calderón expects.
“They’re a great team. It’s another ‘final’ for us. We have utmost respect for all our opponents and given it’s another ‘final’ for ourselves, we can’t factor in whether we’re playing home or away. We’re going there to win the game, as we must keep getting points. They will have incredible morale after their win at Barca, but we’re also going into this game after our victory last weekend, so it should be a great game.”
Real Betis haven’t tasted victory at the Mestalla in 28 years, which came on Sunday 2nd February 1986. A game in which Cálderon played the whole ninety minutes for the team he now manages.
“Every game is a different story. All records like this can be broken and that’s what we want to do on Saturday. To me, it’s of no great importance, as many things have changed for both teams.”
Asked if he’s mentioned that victory to the players, ahead of the trip to the Mestalla, Calderón explained that all they have discussed is how they will face the game on Saturday, rather than bring up something anecdotal from the past.
“I’ve not said anything to them about that game. All we’re working on is the game itself, with videos of how they play and how we must play ourselves. What we have to work on is counter-acting the strengths of our opponent and bringing out our own strengths.”
Calderón was then asked how important it would be to the improving morale of his team, should they win the three points at Valencia.
“If we win, it will be more than positive. The first thing we had to achieve, was a win after so much time without doing so, to help recover the self-esteem of the players. Now we’re trying to look for consistency that reinforces what we’re doing. That’s the stability we’re looking for. We know the quality of Valencia, but we’re going there with the ambition of winning.”
Since his arrival, the players have been speaking highly about their work with the Real Betis manager. That’s something that pleases Calderón, who believes that a good relationship with the players will help bring about positive results.
“It’s an honour, a privilege and it makes me feel happy. A manager should be both demanding and admired by his players. That balance between affection and respect will bring good results. The players know that if a manager is honest and competent, he won’t gift them places in the team. For me, it’s a compliment that they’re happy. The path we’re on is one that ends with winning. All the players are involved and I have to leave out players, who could just as well be selected.”