Malaga defender Oguchi Onyewu is confident more first team opportunities will come his way as the season progresses.
The American centre back has made just five appearances since arriving on loan from Sporting Lisbon last summer but will start against Anderlecht tomorrow in place of Martin Demichelis.
“You can’t always play at 100 per cent,” the 30-year-old commented to reporters at La Rosaleda. “Because sometimes you don’t succeed, but I’m the first to criticise myself and acknowledge when I’ve done things wrong.
“It’s not easy coming to a new country, you have to adapt to new customs and to a new League. But I am comfortable and hope to play more in the future.”
Onyewu backed up Coach Manuel Pellegrini’s insistence insistence that the Andalusians will take tomorrow’s game seriously despite already having qualified for the Champions League last 16.
“Every game is important. I don’t agree that these games are useless, I always want to win.”
Onyewu will be reunited with a few familiar faces, having played in the Belgian League before.
“I know [Dieumerci] Mbokani well. But during the game there are no friends. There are three points at stake and the jokes can wait till after the game.”
