Palacios: We must fight again, compete again and rise up in the face of adversity

César Palacios, the SD Eibar sporting director, held a press conference on Tuesday to analyse the season that has just finished and to stress that “we must fight again, compete again and rise up in the face of adversity”.

ON THE JOURNEY SO FAR

“These have been two intense years, which have been very tough and demanding at all levels. Unfortunately, in both cases we weren’t able to achieve the ultimate objective that we had set ourselves, an objective that everyone at Eibar and all the fans worked so hard for.”

“The disappointment in not having been able to achieve it is huge. The pain we feel is great because we tried everything in our power to achieve the dream of returning to the top division, but, due to various circumstances, it didn’t happen. It was close and we know that having first division promotion in your own hands until the end is an important achievement, something very difficult, and in both seasons we had that possibility. We have to give that the value it deserves.”

“Ultimately, it came down to fine details, some of them our own, both defensively and offensively, as well as details that you can’t control and that penalised us enormously. For a large part of the season, the team showed that they had what it takes to go up. They worked hard and they fought for it, but in top level football you have to control all the details to achieve an objective of this magnitude.”

ON BOUNCING BACK

“We have to bounce back and, since Friday, we have already started to do so, even with our hearts in pieces and glued together as we must fight again, compete again and rise up in the face of adversity. We will try to construct the best possible squad and the best possible human group with the new coach and we’ll work together to feel proud of the club again.”

“We have been self-critical and we will try to improve in all aspects to be even better and to remain competitive, aware of the difficulties that exist.”

ON GARITANO

“I want to thank Gaizka and Patxi for their work over the last two years, their professionalism, their dedication and their effort. His contract had an extension of one more year if we were in the first division. Though we know that he is a great coach, it was time to end a cycle. These have been two very tough years on many levels, and that can wear you down, and both parties believed it was time to part ways. It’s very difficult to achieve 151 points in two seasons, so you have to give that value.”

ON THE NEW COACH

“We’re in talks and I hope that they can be completed soon because I believe that the coach is the key to the new project. The person who comes in will have enormous enthusiasm and energy to come to Eibar, a club which has spent two years fighting for promotion, which recently spent seven years in the top flight and which is an attractive club. We’re a recognisable team and we’ll adapt to the new coach’s ideas to fit in with those of the squad in order to improve.”

ON THE HIGH-LEVEL OPPOSITION

“We have to be aware that, as the seasons go by, the economic capacities at all levels of the club vary and reduce, while our opponents are increasingly powerful because some have just come down looking to go straight back up. This second division has many high-level teams and it becomes more difficult with each year that you aren’t promoted.”

ON THE SQUAD

“With Lasure we have a renewal option that we will see if we exercise or not. Javi Muñoz and Aketxe were offered renewals during the season and, in both cases, they wanted to wait until the end of the season to decide.”

“The new coach will make some tweaks. We will try to maintain the good things we have done over the last two years, and I think we have done a lot, but we will try to improve to be more competitive. We have a very solid squad. Players who have been on loan are coming back. If we were to compete in July, we’d already have a competitive enough squad.”

“We will have to make additions to raise the level and to adapt to the characteristics of the coach who may come in. It’s going to be a long transfer market, though there won’t be many additions unless there are internal movements that we don’t intend to make at the moment.”

“We don't plan to sell any players, unless there are unexpected moves. If something like that happens, it will be because it is a very good sale that benefits the club. Otherwise, we have a great squad and we will fight to keep it intact. Whoever comes in will be pieces to make us equally good or to try to raise the level. I have spoken to all the players individually and none of them have told me that they want to leave.”

ON THE WOMEN’S TEAM

“We have to be happy with the promotion of the women’s team. We have to give them the value and prominence they deserve. It has also been a very hard season for them and, in the end, they achieved it.”

ON THE ACADEMY

“Vitoria reached the playoffs in a very competitive Tercera RFEF Basque group and there are some youngsters who have been in the first-team dynamic for almost the entire season.”

“Eibar Urko can't go up to the third division because Vitoria didn’t get promoted, but they were champions. The Juvenil team finished third and have played in the cup for the first time in their history. We have to be satisfied with all the coaching staff and players in all categories, both men’s and women’s.”