UEFA.com

Kike warns Murcia mean business

Monday, 30 October 2006

by Andy Hall

from Madrid

It has been a fruitful 12 months for El Pozo Murcia FS. In June they won their first Spanish championship in eight years, defeating Polaris World Cartagena in a tight five-game División de Honor play-off having lost the last three finals to UEFA Futsal Cup holders Boomerang Interviú. Then last month, they claimed the Spanish Super Cup against Lobelle de Santiago FS. Much of that success is due to the leadership skills of captain Kike, and he is now aiming to help them add the European crown as the UEFA Futsal Cup Elite round draw is made on Friday in Nyon.

'Cruel blow'
It represents unfinished business: their hopes of making the 2004/05 final were dashed with a last-gasp 5-4 defeat at MFK Dinamo Moskva. "It was an important moment for the club," Kike told uefa.com. "We could almost sense that we going to make the final and losing was a cruel blow, even now it is a thorn in our side. But I hope that we have learned something from it. You have to reflect on what happened with intelligence and maturity and try to take something positive from it. Maybe the most valuable lesson we learned is that, in this competition, you have to be aware that every single game you play is going to be complicated."

Evolution
Now they are back and Murcia coach Duda, who recently signed a new four-year contract extension, has made minimal changes to the championship-winning side. Kike believes that by keeping a sense of continuity, Murcia will be ready to take on Europe's finest once again. "The team has been functioning properly and we know more or less in what direction we are heading," he said. "Raúl and Chico have come up from the youth team and we have got Mauricio which has given us a new dynamism but otherwise we are happy with things as they are."

Praise for format
Unlike in previous years 16 teams are involved in this stage, with the four group winners ultimately advancing to a new-look Final Four competition in April. The 28-year-old Spanish international, whose team has received a bye to this round along with Boomerang, Dinamo and Action 21 Charleroi, believes the new format can only enhance the game. "I think that it is very beneficial," Kike said. "Particularly for the countries who have not had the chance to figure before and everyone who is involved in futsal is in favour of that as it helps the sport to grow. It is also more appealing for the spectators. The later stages are going to be spectacular - Dinamo and Charleroi will be very much to the fore but I would watch out for Arzignano [Grifo C/5] and Sporting Clube [de Portugal]. All the teams involved are dangerous but for us, our principal rivals are Interviú, simply because they are the reigning champions and a reference point for all teams in Europe."

Gulf reduced
Kike has been keeping a close watch on events since the competition began in September. "It was also interesting to see how closely-fought many of the matches were, we saw fewer landslide wins - many games could have gone either way," he said. "That is an indication of how the gulf between the nations who have traditionally produced the stronger teams and other countries is being reduced. Looking at the international scene gives you a good idea of what is happening - countries such as Romania and Slovenia are making huge advances and that has filtered down to club level."

No complacency
Certainly Kike, part of the Spain squad that won the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Cup and 2005 UEFA European Futsal Championship, stresses that whoever Murcia meet in the Elite round, he and his team-mates will have to pull out all the stops to progress, "You should never underestimate your rivals because in today's game, any team can beat you," he warned. "We have to believe in ourselves, knowing that to get through each game we play we are going to suffer."



Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com