Beijing time (CEST) September 18 — Following Gallardo's appointment as Ecuador's new head coach, he held a press conference to outline his objectives.

On his appointment as Ecuador's new head coach

Gallardo stated: "The most important thing is to launch a process that goes beyond individual thoughts and beliefs. We must build bonds through mutual understanding."

On communication with the Ecuadorian Football Federation

Gallardo said: "I asked myself, given that there is a national team opportunity and this team has excellent footballing talent, why not seize this chance? That was indeed one of the main reasons I decided to take on this role. I believe this is an excellent opportunity for me to contribute in the way I'm accustomed to—with passion and professionalism. Every day I work for the national team, but today I am full of enthusiasm and energy, eager to discover which players deserve to be developed. The greatest challenge is understanding how to make the most of such a motivating opportunity. I am ultimately convinced this is indeed an excellent opportunity."

"In this new phase, our objective is to strengthen the team and develop it according to our plan, so that this team can represent us all and serve all our fans. We will strive for mutual understanding. Tomorrow we embark on a new journey; it's a long process, and we have enough time to progressively refine the team and support the development of young players. Although we have some influence, this team will ultimately be managed by the local football technical staff."

On player selection

Gallardo stated: "We have studied this in recent days. We will try to respect the squad selection from the last World Cup while considering some players who were absent due to injuries. We'll take that into account alongside other players who are abroad or in Ecuador. In principle, we will give opportunities to players who represented the country at the last World Cup, and our work begins from there. We will focus on them as well as young players coming through the academy, giving them a chance to play."

"We can assemble a competitive team that can compete with any opponent. We will gradually understand each player's characteristics, work to maximize their strengths, and build a team with clear identity that can represent all the Ecuadorian people."

On Quito being designated as the national home ground

Gallardo stated: "This is most likely a good opportunity to do what I love. I believe that designating Quito as the national home ground is not just about defending a particular region, but about defending the entire country and the national team. We must be tightly united. Regardless of region, we should all feel connected to the national team. We will observe match conditions, analyze who the opponent is, and then determine the best plan. There is still time to evaluate these options."

On international match days

Gallardo stated: "This is also part of our commitment. We have time to assess the situation thoroughly. I told the president that if the platform we're using is stable enough, then we're confident we can move in the direction we want. There's no need to wait; we should act immediately. Therefore, we took the reins of the national team as soon as possible. This will take us considerable time, but it will also give us better understanding and a clearer concept."

Traduit par IA.

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