Luis García Plaza believes our impressive start to the season has merited our current league standing ahead of our hosting of Sporting Gijón on Sunday afternoon.

Having conceded the least goals in Segunda División history after 12 games and the first team to keep six consecutive clean sheets away from home, the boss has stressed the importance of maintaining our good form against potential promotion rivals prior to Matchday 13.

“This is a league where the teams at the top are getting a lot of points,” he told journalists at a pre-match press conference. “With 25 points in 12 games, the normal thing would be to be leaders and have a six-or-seven-point lead on those behind you. The demand to be at the top is very high. What we’re doing is really good but it’s not been enough.

“It’s a very important game against an opposition that has been top and is playing very good football. It’s going to be a tough game against one of the candidates for going up. They have a really good starting XI, one good enough to go up. We’re going to have to have a great game to win against them.”

With Manolo Reina having only been beaten on two occasions, the boss believes our impressive defensive streak has been the work of the collective.

“I honestly didn’t think to have only conceded just two goals,” he continued. “That’s been a job for everyone, not only the goalkeeper and the defenders. Everyone works in the defensive system of the team. Although this record is not something that I obsess over, the most important thing is to win.

“You will see a RCD Mallorca similar to day one. We’ve found our DNA and must continue that. We have received few goals, but we’re not defensive. We like to have the ball and take the initiative. We have to have the ambition of leaving Sporting Gijón five points behind us. We have to have that hunger.”