García Stays Grounded Despite Big Win
Hajduk coach Gonzalo García after a convincing 5-2 win in Vilnius against Žalgiris emphasizes that the club remains in a difficult situation and there is no room for complacency.
Hajduk coach Gonzalo García after a convincing 5-2 win in Vilnius against Žalgiris emphasizes that the club remains in a difficult situation and there is no room for complacency.
Hajduk dismantled Lithuanian side Žalgiris 5-2 away in the first leg of the Conference League third qualifying round, practically securing their place in the play-offs. While one might expect euphoria to sweep through the Split club after such a performance, coach Gonzalo García kept his feet firmly on the ground.
The Spanish tactician is aware that this was a much-needed victory following two consecutive defeats, against Pafos and Varaždin, which had once again heightened public pressure. However, instead of celebrating, García sent a serious message at the press conference.
"When you lose a few matches at Hajduk, there is always pressure," said García, as reported by Dalmatinski portal. He also reminded of an important statistic: "Hajduk hasn't won an away game in Europe for six or seven years. Now we've done it, but it wasn't easy. After about 30 minutes it was 1-1, and we had a penalty and more chances. I hope this win will mean something for us in the future."
Asked whether this kind of celebration means things will be easier going forward, the coach was brutally honest. "Our future is difficult. The club is in a tough situation. We work hard, I've been working here for 13-14 months, bloody hard. Sometimes alone, sometimes with support, sometimes against us. We have to push forward; in two days we have another match. We know that if we lose, everything will be bad again."
Despite the somber tone, García highlighted what he has the most hope in. "We have a lot of young players from the Academy. Hrgović, Silić, Pukštas, Šego... The future exists," he said. Rokas Pukštas was in the spotlight, not only for his goal but also for the heated reactions from Lithuanian fans. According to media reports, glasses were thrown when he scored, likely in the context of his citizenship and decision to play for the USA instead of Lithuania.
García revealed he spoke with the young midfielder: "Rokas is from here, I can understand they expect him to play for Lithuania. He said he doesn't think about it, which is good because he still has to work. I talked to him; he'll spend a few hours with his family. He loves this city, this country. We'll see what happens in the future."
"When I first arrived, he didn't play much. For me, he has great talent and works a lot; sometimes you have to stop him from training so much. He works on his left foot. He has genetic predispositions; his parents were athletes. I think he still has room to improve. Last season he was the best statistically. I hope if he stays with us, he'll continue to grow. He's a real 'animal'," García described Pukštas.
The Hajduk coach also commented on the pitch in Vilnius, expressing a somewhat unexpected view. "We trained on the pitch yesterday. Personally, I prefer artificial turf over natural if the natural one is crap. If you want to play football, the ball moves faster and it's better than bouncing everywhere. I'm happy with the players; they're singing and dancing in the dressing room, that's the most important thing," he concluded.
The return leg at Poljud should be a mere formality, but judging by García's words, there is no room for relaxation at Hajduk even after such a convincing away victory.
