Real Sociedad's director of football, Erik Bretos, met with the press before his trip to Belgium to comment on the team's first European match. Bretos expressed his enthusiasm for the opportunity to compete in Europe and highlighted the group's preparation after the recent squad call-up. "We are very excited about tomorrow's game and we want to move forward. We are all well prepared and ready," said the leader.
Bretos admitted that the defeat in the first game against Bournemouth was not ideal, but pointed out that the club must not be tempted to add pressure or relax against an opponent that does not belong to the big five leagues. "More than pressure, it is true that we did not start the first day with Bournemouth in the way we would have liked. But that makes the next match even more important," he explained. Furthermore, he warned that “if we think that tomorrow's game is going to be affordable, we are very wrong,” underlining the quality of the Belgian club and the need to deploy the best version of the team to win.
The football director also spoke about the evolution of the team. “It's not bad at all, I'm very happy for the positive results and for the margin we still have as a team on an individual level,” he said. Bretos emphasized the importance of the team's reaction to challenges, citing examples of matches where Real Sociedad has been able to defend itself or add an extra goal when the situation demanded it. “That speaks to the soul and character of the team, and that is fundamental,” he added.
Regarding strategy, Bretos avoided focusing too much on the rival or on long-term objectives such as the top 8. “I don't like to talk too much about rivals because sometimes we forget what we have to do ourselves,” he commented. Instead, he proposed a step-by-step approach, concentrating on the two away games that follow the match at Bournemouth. “Now we have two fundamental away games coming up, and we are very focused on them in the next seven days,” he concluded.
With his sights set on the next European round, Bretos remains hopeful that Real Sociedad can advance in the competition and continues to trust in the team's growth and ability to face the challenges that lie ahead.