Manuel Pellegrini has urged his Malaga players to quickly refocus on League affairs this weekend, as he warns they cannot afford mistakes against Athletic.
The Costa del Sol club are currently second in the table on an unbeaten start to the campaign, despite their difficult summer.
The club travel to San Mames in Week 5, in a fixture following on from the club’s successful debut in midweek in the group stages of the Champions League.
“The key thing for us is that we go out focused on what we are doing in La Liga, that is the most important competition and the one that shows how good you are over the course of the year,” reminded the Chilean today.
“Athletic maybe had a bit of a tricky start last year but then they came into their own. Marcelo Bielsa is someone who has his own style of playing football and demands a lot of his teams, but the difference between winning and losing is very small.
“Misplacing two or three passes because of a lack of concentration or a slip can cost you a goal and, a lot of the time, being a goal down can cost you a game.”
Amid the euphoria that is surrounding Malaga’s start to the season, Pellegrini also spoke of the club’s continuing need to sort out their problems behind the scenes.
“The club needs to get its house in order first,” he admitted.
“Certain things have been sorted out on the pitch and in terms of finances thanks to our qualification for the Champions League but it's also important that the club sorts out what it wants and where it is going in the future, and if it can continue a project that, for the moment, has been cut back completely.”
