Real Oviedo defender Christian Fernández today appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón.
Today you can say that you are really back training as a squad. Do you think there's enough time to resume the season in optimal form?
- Perhaps we'd need a bit more time to be fully prepared. Time for collective work, because that's what we need to build from. We are hoping to adapt as soon as possible and squeeze everything out of these two weeks.
Is the whole squad training at once the closest thing to normality?
- Without any doubt. If it wasn't for the security measures and protocol then it wouldn't be any different to the normality we had previously. Once the ball starts rolling, that is our normality. We are happy and looking forward to starting work.
At the beginning of the lockdown you were one of the few footballers who publicly came out in favour of cancelling the season. Do you still think the same?
- The circumstances have changed. Things have been done well, starting with our club, and I hope that, after the sacrifices we have made, we are able to finish LaLiga. That's what we all want.
How do you see the eleven remaining games? Is the margin of error small?
- It's clear that we are depending on what happens in society and in the country. People have to behave civilly; it's the way to safeguard the interests of everybody. We hope that we don't end up seeing football cancelled, we don't want that. We have eleven 'cup finals' to go and that's how we have to approach it.
Do you think that teams who have used ERTEs (temporary redundancies) or wage cuts could pay the price for it in competition, given that there were protests in some cases?
- The only way to recover the money that you had made an agreement on is through the competition. When it comes to competing we are unconnected to economic matters, on-field matters are all that have an impact.
What do you make of the matches and timetabling for the resumption of the league?
- We have to finish LaLiga in such a short space of time and so we have to adapt. We aren't used to playing every 72 hours in our division, but we are all in the same boat. Whoever adapts best will come out on top. This 'new normality' means that we have to reinvent ourselves, and whoever's the strongest will come out on top.
Oviedo has put possible contract renewals for next season, such as your own, on hold. Is it something that worries you? What has the sports management said to you about your future?
- At the end of the day it's the way we had been working throughout these months, ever since we first spoke. The pandemic has disrupted everything, but the club has told me they want me here next season, and I still believe that to be true. This is home for me, I want to finish (my career) here, and there won't be any problems.
Do you see the squad as being mentally ready for the final sprint of La Liga. Will mental factors be more important than physical ones?
- It's a combination of both. Whoever manages the physical exertion well will have gone a long way towards winning. Within the bad moments this season, with all of the different changes, we have shown strength to get out of there (the relegation places). It says a lot about the team's personality. We have to show ambition and hunger to keep Real Oviedo in this division.
Will you find it hard to adapt to this new football, or will it all be the same for you in terms of competing once the ball starts rolling?
- Not having our fans there could be a problem since we aren't used to it, but we have to go for the three points every match.
We are beginning an 11-match mini-season where Oviedo has a lot at stake, and there are new rules, such as being allowed 5 changes. What do you make of this modification to the rules?
- It's another measure to protect the integrity of the players. The climate has an effect and the teams need to have the resources to be able to use all their players.
Do you think that the return to competition will be similar to in the Bundesliga?
- I've not watched the German football, but I imagine it won't differ too much from what we are going to encounter. Empty grounds, unfortunately, since that is decisive. The Tartiere is a cauldron and our opponents notice it. I think that teams who minimise their errors will have gone a long way towards winning. Whoever is capable of suffering more, like we are, will also have an advantage.
What aspects of the game is the Coach focusing on?
- He is looking for a balance between physical and tactical work, given that most has been lost in the latter aspect. We need that crucial synchrony for the team to function. Now, working as one group, it seems more like real football.
