Real Oviedo left back, Christian Fernández, appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón following the first team’s return to training.
Talking about the team’s positive run of form, with five wins in the last six matches, the Real Oviedo defender hoped that “we will still be going like this in June”, and admitted that “it’s true that the team needed to burst into life, both in terms of our play and points, but it was never out of our hands. We’ve managed to carry the Coach’s ideas onto the pitch. We are all involved, and little by little we are getting players back from injury, which will be important.” In addition, the left back highlighted that, “we are ten points above the relegation zone. It doesn’t mean much at the minute, but it will be important. We have to be cautious and respectful to all the other teams. We know that, despite our club’s history, we have to consolidate the club’s project in this division. The team’s plan is to get to 50 points and then look to aim higher.”
Real Oviedo will have another opportunity to pick up three points this weekend when they travel to Sevilla Atlético. Talking about his expectations for the encounter, Christian Fernández pointed out that, “if we become arrogant and think about how we’ve done lately then we will fall back into our old mistakes. In my opinion, Sevilla deserve the greatest respect. They play good football and compete, and aren’t the usual B team. There are two games left before the end of the first half of the
season, and we need as many points as possible to go into the second half with our preparatory work done. We need to get more people coming along to the Tartiere, and become an even stronger blue.”
Asked about last Sunday’s encounter with CA Osasuna and the way in which the team stood up to be counted in the match, the Carbayón defender stated that, “we knew the importance of starting well, and that the team which began stronger would be more likely to win. The team responded right from the start and showed our intention to win. We were lucky enough to score from a fine move, and we knew that they would have to push forward, and so we could have chances on the counter attack. The truth is that the team showed their solidity, and it helps us to grow as a team.”
Regarding the importance of keeping a clean sheet, Christian Fernández commented that, “it’s not just the defence’s job, it’s also crucial for the players up front. When people realise the importance of applying pressure to the opposition, the team takes one step forward. It all begins from that pressure. That work is very important for the team, and it all stems from the players up top. They make us calmer, and mean we can deal with their attacks more easily.”
Finally, regarding the change in the team during this first stage of the season, both in terms of play and in attitude, the full back said that, “it’s hard to build a team. New players needed to settle in, as did the new coaching staff, and getting all that going is hard. Today we have to give all the credit to the Coach, as his work is undervalued. Perhaps he doesn’t have the name of his predecessors nor other football experts, but he never stopped believed in us nor his philosophy for football. Us footballers are stubborn, and we don’t see what we have in front of us, but I can tell you that we are on the right path from day-to-day. Players who before now were squad players are now key men. The Coach deserves all the credit, since he’s managed to get everyone engaged, and it’s a team success,” he concluded.
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