Lucas Aveldaño met the press this morning and recognized that even though the group´s mood “is not ideal” after the defeat against Albacete, the group understands that there are five important games remaining, where “we must turn the page on the past and focus on the remaining games as if they are finals.”
In that regard, the center defender highlighted that in the game against Tenerife, “we need to show our character and composure. Right now we have to fight together. There is a lot of quality in this competition, so we must take it game by game.”
Aveldaño revealed that the team was encouraged by the support from CEO Maheta Molango and commented that the defeat against Albacete was unjust because “they had only one real chance on net, and because we also didn´t have many chances, a fair result would have been a zero-zero tie. But we must carry on through the rest of the season.”
The Argentine leader denied that the team talks about relegation in the locker room, “There is always fear, it is human, but when the game starts you forget about it. We are not in the situation that we had hoped we would be, so now is the time to prove our character and identity. And we will achieve this by acting together.
At the same time, the captain noted the coach´s encouragement, “he tells us like it is and uses criticism as room for improvement, not for concern. He explains it to us, and we agree that whoever is stronger mentally will survive” and he assured the squad that he wants to win the next game, “so we can all be a bit more calm.”
Finally, Aveldaño reassured that the players understand that criticisms are part of the game, “but it bothers me when those criticisms doubt the attitude of the group. The people have to respect that we give it our all. We may fall short in some aspects of the game, but never in attitude.” And he respectfully asked the fans to, “Never doubt that we want it. That is definitely hard on us, so that is why we need your help to succeed."
