Deportivo La Coruna boss Gaizka Garitano admits he hopes “the best” for Eibar ahead of his first reunion with the Basques on Friday.
Garitano is best known for taking Eibar into La Liga for the first time ever in 2014 and indirectly keeping them up at the first attempt prior to his departure last summer, and the Coach made no secret of his affection for the side, despite his new-found loyalties to Depor.
“Eibar have signed very well [in the market],” he said at a Press conference.
“They’re a club that have grown a lot with each year and they’ve returned [this season] with more big growth in everything, their budget and players.
“We will find a team [in Eibar] like everyone else in La Liga because there are no easy teams. They’re all very difficult, and this is the case of Eibar and ourselves.
“I spent many years at Eibar, and the match will be special for me to reconnect with my former team.
“I hope the best for Eibar, who won their first game of last season well and also won very well against Real [Sociedad] when I was there the season before. They’re a team that always starts the season strongly.
“The important thing is we’re well and that we give a good account of ourselves to win the game.
“We’ve arrived for the game calmly and eager [to win]. Now the real tests begin.
“We’ve done good work [during preseason] and now it’s the players’ turn.
“We have an exciting season ahead, we’ll have difficulties, satisfactions, good times and bad times. That’s football.
“If you ask all the Coaches, everyone approaches [a new season] well and with optimism.
All the teams feel good until the results start tomorrow and some won’t be right. Setting long-term goals is useless because we’ll go with the wind.
“My dream is to win at Eibar and then go to Seville [against Real Betis] and win, win, win, win and win.
“We live to win here and we’ll do everything possible to win every week and bring us closer to our goals.
“If we don’t win, it’ll bring us closer to the objectives we don’t want to think about or that aren’t our objectives.
“I have tremendous enthusiasm of running a great club with a great history, in a great city and with great fans like Deportivo.
“I’m hopeful that there’ll be a good feeling between the team and fans [at Riazor].
“[On Lucas Perez and Sidnei], any of our 20 players can leave if the club want to sell them or if someone else pays their [release] clause.
“We want those who are here to stay, but I have no special ties to anyone, either for better or worse.”
