Vedat Muriqi on Javier Aguirre, penalty shoot-outs and the Copa del Rey final – ‘They are planes’ | OneFootball

Real Mallorca’s star striker Vedat Muriqi has given an in-depth interview ahead of the Copa del Rey final, as his side prepare for the big match against Athletic Club at La Cartuja in Seville. Muriqi explained that in his mind, having Javier Aguirre is like having an extra player.

Regarding those preparations, Muriqi told Cadena SER that they would be working on their mental approach to the match.

“I think we don’t have to do much physically. Mentally, we’re doing much more. They are important games and you know what can happen to you. All players dream of winning a final. Physically, we are not doing anything special, but mentally, I think that you have to prepare it a little differently. I have experience and I know how I have to handle it. I will handle it like a normal day. Everyone has to prepare themselves, it’s not up to the coach.”

Mallorca have already had several heroics on their way to the final, beating Tenerife in the 120th of minute of extra time, and putting out season revelation Girona 3-2. It was the penalties win over Real Sociedad that will stick in Muriqi’s memory in the semi-finals.

“I won’t forget that game for the rest of my life. When we went to the penalties, the coach had already prepared who was going to take them. He started saying names. After saying them, he asked us to shout each name he was saying with a ‘hey.’ And celebrate. It gave me a feeling of calm and I raised my head to see the Real Sociedad players. And they all looked at us thinking ‘what these guys are celebrating?’ We had already won after that moment. I was very calm because I knew we were going to be in the final, to the point they told me to shut up. The truth is that it is a moment that I will never forget. We were all very calm.”

Manager Aguirre is famous for his good humour and foul mouth, and has referred to Muriqi as ‘ugly’ on several occasions in the press. Muriqi explained that having the Mexican coach was a major advantage.

“Many times you laugh with him and that’s how it is, but I like that when you go into training his face changes. If you do a bad session or you laugh at it, he knows it’s going to go wrong for us. He goes very, very serious. For the rest, you can laugh 24 hours a day with him. When I look to the sideline and I see Javier Aguirre there, I feel like we have another player, he has that experience and knows how to talk to the referee, how to motivate, how to demotivate. We are lucky to have this coach.”

Many see the Basque side as strong favourites for the final, but Muriqi was keen to point out that could work against them.

“Athletic are the favourite. Everyone knows it. They have more experience in this game, but they haven’t won in 40 years and they are favourites, but they have too much pressure. More than us. We can use it to our advantage and if we start the game well, we will have our chances.”

He was full of praise for the Williams brothers, Inaki and Nico, though, and explained he shared a good relationship with the elder brother.

“They are planes, man! I also have a very interesting friendship with Inaki. I talk to him during the game and we have changed shirts two or three times. They are two brothers, one on each side, if you don’t know how to stop them and you don’t give them more attention, they catch you where you are aren’t paying attention, and kill you. I really like our defenders, my teammates, who are walls.”

The giant Kosovan showed little interest in leaving for Mallorca for the Premier League.

“Did you say quick? (laughs) I have a contract and until you ask me, I hadn’t even thought about it. We are very comfortable here and I am very happy. Until the coach or the board tell me that they don’t want me, I won’t leave. I’m going to continue here. If they give me two more years, perfect.”

Mallorca will be looking for their second ever Copa del Rey triumph, having won it in 2003. Los Bermellones have been through the ringer in recent years though, descending to the third tier of Spanish football, and grazing dissolution, but have recovered in recent years. With Aguirre at the helm, the Mexican manager has built strong unit 28 years into his career by relying on some key tenets of management.