Philippe Montanier has looked to temper growing enthusiasm at Real Sociedad that the club could qualify for the Champions League.
Consistent form of late has seen La Real edge into the top four and Montanier earn great praise. However, with 10 games remaining of La Liga, the Frenchman is preaching calm.
“Yes, we have a good dynamic, but there are 10 games to go, 30 points, which is a lot,” Montanier told Mundo Deportivo today.
“It means nothing to be fourth now, only that the team are at a good level. The determination is to stay there.
“Do we have the level to stay there? Let’s see. There are other high level teams in the fight. Day by day. The next three or four games will be important to see if we can fight for the top four.
“Are we peaking? I hope not. The hardest thing is not to reach a high level, but to stay there. For now it is true that the team have progressed well and are consistent.
“For the fans, perhaps it would be a disappointment not to qualify for Europe this term, but we are fighting against teams that have planned to go to the Champions League or Europa League, such as Valencia and Malaga. We are not alone.
“It would be wrong to dream of the Champions League now. The team’s success is in having great focus on the next game and on our game. Then comes the aftermath. To think of that, though, before the game is a trap. We will go on to dream after the final day.”
Montanier’s contract with La Real expires at the end of the season.
“Would I like to stay? It’s a good question, but not a good time to discuss it. Let’s wait until the end of the season.
“Right now there is so much excitement that there is no thoughts to the future, next season or the next 10 years.
“Are the club more confident in me? Their confidence came particularly in the difficult moments. There was a lot of noise around my continuity in the role, but internally I always received support from the President.
“This is a close-knit club. There is a great working environment. To me that is very important.”
Montanier was pressed on whether he wanted to stay at the club and commented that his renewal depends on ‘more than just results’, with the ‘project’ important and the direction of the project linked to where the team finish the season.
