Lincoln Red Imps coach impressed with his players

Lincoln Red Imps head coach Juanjo Bezares did not hesitate to praise his players as he spoke to the media this Wednesday ahead of a crucial Conference League match against Sigma this Thursday.

The Lincoln Red Imps coach highlighted how his players were adapting well to having to play at two very different and distinct levels every two weeks. They go from playing domestic league football — where, like this weekend, they faced a side such as Hound Dogs — to having to refocus and adapt to playing against teams who, as he described his next opponents, were “one point above Fiorentina.”

Bezares praised his players for the way they had adapted to the need to rotate the squad constantly while maintaining a high level of focus. He emphasised that, while the team approached Conference League matches with great respect for their opponents, they were not afraid of them. “If you fear your opponent, you are playing to lose,” he explained.

In a press conference where he was accompanied by youngster Pozo, there was no doubt left about Lincoln’s continued ambition to challenge for qualification to the knockout phase of the competition. Although admitting that mistakes had been made against Hamrun Spartans, and that they had played in an environment they had not expected or were used to, Bezares and Pozo insisted they were still aiming for qualification, describing Thursday’s match as “yet another final.”

Concerns were raised over the fact they were a small club without the finances others had. Bezares highlighted that they were playing in a competition where last season Chelsea faced Betis in the final — something which, he recalled, “explains it all.”

However, Bezares remained adamant that while they were a small club, they were an opposition others should not underestimate — “small but powerful.” When asked about playing on an artificial pitch, he commented: “If we had £50 million like others, we would have our own grass pitch, but we have £1 million… others can use it as an excuse, but it’s not an excuse in how we play.” He also noted that they themselves had to play on grass when they were not used to it and did not complain.

Lincoln, who dropped out of the qualification places after their defeat to Hamrun Spartans, now face Sigma, who themselves have an easier route to qualification and are currently in the seeded positions. With Legia Warsaw their next opponents after Sigma, Lincoln Red Imps need to secure points this Thursday if they are to keep their hopes of reaching the next stage alive. Bezares called on his players to rise to the moment, pointing out that as a club with 49 years of history and possibly 1,500 or more matches during that time, the players now had a chance to “make history” by reaching the knockout stages — something he noted the “1,000-plus players of the past who have gone through the club” had never had the chance to do.