We Spoke To Dimas Delgado About His New Teammates, The Youngsters Within The Squad And How His Blues Are Shaping Up As The Season Picks Pace…
His thoughts on Manuel Onwu and his performance against NorthEast…
Manuel has the tough job of a centre-forward coming in to replace a player like Miku. Of course, Miku will be a big miss for any team. But the fact is that with or without him we have been creating chances. Even last season, when he was out of the squad, we created chances and scored goals so the important thing is to keep doing that. Manu has come in and settled well, he will take time to adapt and that’s normal. He wants to help the team and we want to help him so I am sure that very soon, he will start scoring goals. We are confident in our own abilities, and know that we are a powerful team, so we will keep working on the right things and try to be better.
On his partnership with Raphael Augusto in midfield…
When you play alongside good players, it makes things easier for you. They know their role, how they want to play, but they also know how you play and understand that as well. Raphael makes his way to positions where he can receive the ball and that’s important. We have a very good understanding on and off the pitch and I am sure that he will help us a lot this season. He is a smart player, has a lot of quality and wants to serve the team to make it stronger and better. It was good to play alongside him on Monday, and with time, we will only get better together. We want to communicate more between us and that will be better for the team. If we keep the ball in middle between us, we know we have players around us who are quick, and will help us create chances.
On his role in the team in the absence of Erik Paartalu…
Everyone knows that when you have Erik on the pitch, he is the man who stops the opposition. He has the quality to do that job, to win the aerial duels and make the tackles and help the defence. We missed him at the end of last season, and we miss him at the moment too. But if that means that I have to play slightly deeper and help the defence, then that is what I will do. I’m confident in that position, because I’ve played there many times in that career so far. If the team needs me in that position then I’m happy to help.
On the younger players in the squad and their contribution…
At this club, no one is guaranteed a place in the starting eleven. I think for the players, and the team in general, it is good to have that kind of competitive environment because it makes you give everything on the pitch. That’s good for us as athletes, and the team. The younger players are coming in every day to learn and to do a little more with every training session, but they are also hungry. The competition for places within the team is getting better every day.
We are really happy with all of them and they are pushing us and trying to keep us on our toes. It’s nice to have this competition, because it reduces the chances of complacency. No one on this team can relax because if you aren’t at the highest level, you will not be on the team. The coach has always chosen the players who are working hard and that is good for the team.
