Pablo Hernández on Castellón-Tenerife: rival, absences

The league-leading CD Castellón host CD Tenerife this Saturday at SkyFi Castalia. Tenerife, just promoted, are currently in play-off spots, and Pablo Hernández—Castellón’s head coach—broke down the match in his press conference.

The focus: keep competing

Hernández said he’s “happy” with how the team has been building momentum beyond the results, pointing to the club’s growing sense of identity: “an illusion… and a recognizable team.” He also acknowledged learning moments along the way, saying that even with a good run, there were “bad times” that helped him.

He doesn’t claim Castellón is necessarily “the team to beat,” but stressed that being at the top brings confidence and strengthens the daily work. His priority is not just the points, but the level of competitiveness: he wants Castellón to keep “competing” the same way, reminding that it’s a long league and defeats will come.

International duty: pride and trade-offs

On international call-ups, the coach framed it as a source of pride for the club, since their players are being selected. However, he noted the obvious downside: the squad loses players for league games. As he put it, the debate has been open for a long time and the league hasn’t changed it.

Squad status for Tenerife

Looking at the opponent, Hernández warned that Tenerife—despite surprising start after coming from Primera RFEF—are well coached, clear on their ideas, and have quality players, so the match will be demanding and requires being at their best.

For his own side, Hernández confirmed Brignani is out with a long-term injury, while everyone else is available. He also emphasized that he’ll keep rotating based on what each player can bring in each game, “trying to put in every match the ones I think can give us an edge,” according to Sport.