Real Oviedo defender Carlos Hernández today appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón.
How is the team doing ahead of the resumption of the league season? Have you had enough time to prepare?
- Good, we are feeling good. It's true that we won't really know how we are doing until we get started, but the team feels good.
Does having so many matches in so little time mean that the whole squad is important?
- Obviously having a large squad is important, and more so in this situation. We all have to feel important and be focused on when our moment arrives.
How did you feel during the practice match at the Tartiere? Will it be hard to adapt to the 'new football'?
- The situation feels 'cold', but it is what it is. We can't demand more, and it will have been similar to what we are going to face. It's a shame that a team like Real Oviedo, which always has its fans there with it, isn't going to feel the support and warmth that they give us. It's a shame, but we have to adapt.
The break came at a time when the team was doing well. Is it an added pressure to begin again now from a standing start, knowing that you have so much at stake in these 11 matches?
- The pressure is always there. We weren't in a great position, but we finished on a good run. Now we have to start from scratch and I think that beginning well is key. We have a month in Asturias and we have to pick up points and confidence.
How important do you think the physical aspect will be during matches once the league resumes?
- It will be important. We have to know how to manage it, because there is going to be a lot of matches and a lot of demands. We have eleven matches and we have to finish them in the best way possible.
Do you think that the matches could be of a lower intensity, given that they will be played behind closed doors, without fans?*
- At the end of the day the fans are the support that we have and they give us that push in key moments. Playing at home won't be what it was before, where home teams always got an advantage.
You finished the previous matches in the starting lineup, and on Friday in the practice match you were also in the probable starting eleven. Would you be surprised not to start the match against Ponferradina?
- I think that the Coach will pick the eleven best players. I've tried to be amongst those eleven, and if the Coach decides that I should be in the eleven then great.
What do you remember about Ponferradina? Will they have changed a lot since the break?
- It's a team that runs a lot and has good players up front. We are going to face a good team that gives little away. We have to continue as we finished before the break; conceding little and taking our chances. Home advantage will not have an impact now, but everybody will still want to play at home.
The Coach is focused on the defensive side of the game. Is that where he is placing more focus in the daily work?
- Matches are decided on small details in this division. We have players who are capable of scoring goals, and if we are capable of keeping clean sheets, both at home and away, then we will be closer to getting victories.
Do you think that managing your emotions will be key in the return to action?
- It caught us all by surprise. It had never happened before. If you win then you'll have no time to think, and we have to wait and see the effect it has. We have to be confident.
