Firstly, how are your Spanish classes going?
—Much better, or I hope so. So far I have had five classes. I missed the sixth one - but that’s because the press invited me to dinner and I had to skip it. I really like the language, I am learning names and words, above all, those related to football. They are are coming along nicely and help me to interact with the players.
Besides the language, what is proving to be the most complicated thing about adapting to at Real Sociedad and La Liga?
—For now the language, certainly. It is very different. Also the culture, but I am enjoying having dinner later. Although it is true that in the mornings we train later than in England. I also like that the meals are longer, I can get used to that quite easily. And I find it different when I try to make a meeting between 2pm and 4pm – here it is rare and because I cannot find anyone. But what surprises me most is the attitude of the players and their desire to learn. They are impacting upon me.
How would you assess your time up until now at Real Sociedad?
—I am enjoying my time here, although I have just arrived. I have been given time to get to know my players better, as well as the club and the environment, and my assessment is already becoming more complete. We all want to change things in the future but it must be bit by bit, not drastically. Things will change, but with logic. In any case, all that matters to me is the team and that we go up gradually.
You said that you were most surprised by the players’ attitudes. At Manchester United you didn’t have that complicity with the players - was it more difficult?
—No, no, that’s similar. The United players are very good players and they train very hard. But at la Real I find very professional players that are careful, focused on their work and always looking for the good of the team. I am delighted. It’s true that at United there are very big players, but also at la Real I was surprised to see that there are also very good players here.
And what do you think of Anoeta, with the running tracks? It must seem ‘less hot’ than the grounds of the Premier League…
—Well, I like to play at Anoeta. But I agree with what you said about the tracks. The construction of the new ground will be very important for the club. In recent years there have been great successes with the Champions League and the Europa League, and those should be the objectives, we must focus on settling down in those positions. In the same way, my objective is to fill Anoeta and to give the fans something attractive so that they come to see us and encourage us.
During the small amount of time you’ve been in San Sebastián, have you found differences between Spanish football and the Premier League?
—Not a lot. Perhaps Spanish football can be more technical and perhaps English football can be more physical and with stronger teams, but we must recognise that this Spanish national team have won a World Cup and two European Championsips and that means that in Spain, in this Liga, they are doing things very well, apart from the schedules. The kick-off time for the Copa del Rey the other day (10pm, against Oviedo) does not benefit football and the promotion of it. I have always stressed that English football is very competitive, but since I have been here I think that La Liga is too. I love the diversity that is being achieved in La Liga and in the Premier League, and that is a good thing for this sport.
The other day the president stated that he thinks you can still fight to qualify for Europe – do you think you can still be just as ambitious given the dismal start to the season la Real had?
—It will be difficult to return to the Europa League, all of us must have that clear. But at the same time, I think that after the next five or six matches we will know if it is feasible. Now I focus, and it's my obsession, on winning every game so that we can leave the prospect of relegation behind as soon as possible. If we achieve good results at the start of the year, we may be able to start to look further up the table.
Do you have a Christmas message for the la Real supporters?
—Thank you very much for the opportunity. I want to wish all of the la Real fans a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year. We will do everything we can to make them happy and so that they arrive to Anoeta happy to see us. I also want to thank them for the warm welcome that I've had since I arrived in San Sebastián.
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