Brighton and Hove Albion head coach gives first interview

Oscar Garcia has given his first interview since joining Brighton and Hove Albion as head coach.

He took part in a question and answer session with a representative of the club.

Welcome to Brighton. What are your first impressions?

I’m impressed with the people I’m working with at Brighton and I’m very happy. It’s a pleasure for me to be here. This morning I met all the players and I saw a lot of good things this afternoon.

What are you looking for?

My obsession is to attack, to attack the opposition, to keep the ball and to have the ball as many times as possible. If we have the ball, we will have many chances to score and win the game. That’s my philosophy.

Why do you like management?

When I was a professional player I was always thinking about what the coach was thinking and why he did certain things. I started to think that I wanted to be a manager or a coach. I love thinking about how we can win a game, how we can create an opening. These kind of things got me thinking that I wanted to be a manager.

Do you like good football or winning football?

Both. I think we can do both and I have the philosophy that if you play good football you will have more chances to win than if you play bad.

As an ex-player what’s it like being on the sidelines watching your team?

It’s difficult because when you are a player, you think maybe only about yourself. But when you are the manager you have to think about maybe 30 people and it’s not easy. It’s more difficult being a coach or a manager.

So what’s the satisfaction like when you get it right?

Of course, when you prepare for a game and you’ve done something in training which you then see the results of on the pitch, it makes me very happy.

What did the chairman say to persuade you to take the job?

It wasn’t difficult for him because I knew the club, I knew English football and I knew some players who are playing here. We arrived at an agreement quickly.