UD Las Palmas‘ new manager, Albert Sánchez, said on Thursday during his presentation that he aims to restore the players‘ confidence and implement a style of play based on teamwork, with a side that has character, ambition and courage, and that takes more control of matches.
The 39-year-old Catalan manager believes the squad has «a lot of potential, with a mix of youth and experience», and players who are ideal «for the style of play we want and which is so popular here», to which he intends to add his own «touch».
Sánchez, who arrived in Gran Canaria this morning, watched Thursday’s training session as a spectator and will have three sessions from Friday onwards to prepare for his debut in charge of the island side, next Monday away against Real Oviedo.
UD Las Palmas: Sánchez opts for a flexible 4-3-3 formation
The new manager has emphasised that he needs to bring key players back into the fold, as well as those who are injured, «and work hard» to ensure his style of play is successful «because there’s still a long way to go in the league», although he added that the first objective is to «secure our position» in the table and then «look up the table and be ambitious».
Although he says he does not place much faith in tactical systems and formations, he has acknowledged that he uses a 1-4-3-3 as a basis, albeit with «a great deal of positional flexibility», and has emphasised that his team must «defend from the back outwards», with the aim of «being more solid defensively» so as not to concede so many goals and to make it difficult for opponents to create chances.
«I’d always thought I fitted in very well with the Unión Deportiva model, which has been in place for many years. We want to be a recognisable team and bring stability to the project; the squad is built for that, we’re a good fit, and the transition will be quicker because the players are used to this style of play,» he argued, after mentioning Quique Setién, García Pimienta and Luis García, former managers of the island club who adopted a similar approach to the game.
Furthermore, he believes that his time in the French Second Division has helped him develop as a manager «in a different style of football, one that is more physical, with plenty of one-on-one duels and lots of transitions», and so he feels he is «much better prepared than he was two years ago».
Las Palmas' young players are given opportunities regardless of their age
As for the role of the youth academy, he recalled Barça’s DNA and noted that during his time at the club, they brought on Lamine Yamal at the age of 15 and Pau Cubarsí at 16.
«Age isn’t an issue for me; if the players have what it takes, they’ll play,» he said.
Las Palmas: Sánchez calls for courage as the team faces a difficult league position
Having watched the yellow team’s last two matches, against Real Sociedad B (1-0), which was «too open», and last Tuesday’s Copa del Rey match, a victory in Alcalá de Henares (1-3) after extra time, he has emphasised that the players must regain their confidence and be bold on the pitch «because I am not a manager who punishes mistakes».
Furthermore, he does not regard UD Las Palmas as a Second Division side but rather as «a historic club, which is why I’ve gone to great lengths to come here, because it’s a privilege».
In very similar terms, Rubén de la Barrera from Galicia spoke out 129 days ago. He is the manager who, with a very similar vision, launched a project that has so far failed to bear fruit; the team is closer in points to relegation to the Primera Federación than to the top spots, and is now on its third manager following a three-match spell under the experienced Juan Manuel Rodríguez, who has once again been demoted to the reserve team.
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