In the second installment of the interview with Álex Fernández (Alcalá de Henares, Madrid; 10-15-1992, 28 years old), The footballer analyzes his current coach, Álvaro Cervera, and reviews his preseason with the Madrid first team and remembers both his debut and that of his brother Nacho. Álex affirms that it is in Cádiz where he has found his maturity and hopes that his history with the Cadiz entity will go on for a long time.
– What are the weapons of Cádiz to face the game against a team like Real Madrid?
– Our way of playing sure makes them uncomfortable. The quality of the Madrid squad is indisputable, I will not discover anything, they are the best in the world, but we have a lot of work and pride and we have taken many games for it. We will have to focus on not fitting in, which is our strongest weapon, and take advantage of the opportunities we have above, which we will have some (he jokes).
– On a personal level it must be especially exciting.
– Of course I have, I have played for Madrid, it is the team that gave me the push at a professional level and I have made my debut in First Division. It's always exciting for me to come home. I am very clear that Real Madrid and Cádiz are my teams for the rest of my life. The game has enough incentives to be special, in addition, due to the unfortunate injuries of Nacho's teammates, my brother may play, which is something even more important. For me it will be a day to remember
– Have you made a bet with Nacho for who will win?
– The truth is, no. He defends his own, they know that they have to go to win yes or yes to go for the League and we of course want to score. We know that it is very difficult to score points at Di Stéfano, we have to be honest, but the team is in very good dynamics and is competing with big teams like Sevilla or Granada and is doing very well. If we continue along these lines, we can surely get something positive out of Madrid.
– And at home with which of the two will you go?
– I don't think they will decide, I think they will say that the best man wins and if everything goes well as we think, I hope we can both be on the field, which will be the most important thing beyond the result or performance. That day will be special for being in the same field as my brother facing us.
– Cádiz is already in the First Division, one of the conditions that Nacho asked for to come to Cádiz.
– I've tried (jokes). Right now the distance between Cádiz and Real Madrid is very great, although I would love him to be here. I said it in his day, it was impossible at 99% because he is in a great club, surely the best in the world and they love him there a lot … If he changed teams, right now he could even qualify for Champions League teams and that's what he has to do, hurry it up, try to compete at the highest level, even in Europe. There will always be time to try to bring Nacho, we'll see in a couple of years.
– The penalty will be not being able to play the game at the Bernabéu.
– You are right, But personally I am very excited to return to Di Stéfano because I have played many games there with Castilla and to play against my brother there, where we have played so many times together because it will be super special. In the end, if we keep the category, which is what we are sure to achieve, next year we will return to the Bernabéu with people.
– At the moment it seems that Álvaro Cervera's style of play continues to work even in the First Division.
– Álvaro (Cervera) is very honest and sincere, the team was clear that by moving up he was not going to change his idea of the game or make a radical change. We will continue the same, trying to be a very strong team in defense, although it is evident that we have to improve the attack and offensive actions because the category demands it, but the team is responding very well. We are scoring points against very good teams and the team is giving a very recognizable face for Cadismo, which must feel very proud of its players and its team.
– What surprises you the most about Álvaro Cervera?
– What surprises me the most is the control you have over situations. He reads and understands the games very well, and since he has very clear ideas he knows exactly what to do at all times. I've been with him for four years now and in tough times or when things aren't going well, he's a great coach to support you on and you know that sooner or later the path he shows you is the right one so that things turn out well..
– Do you create the template in the Cervera system?
– Yes. He has been here for many years and the philosophy of the game that the club has is very clear. Whoever comes has to adapt in the best possible way and follow that line. I think it would be a very big mistake to try to change or reconvert ourselves at this point. The coach in the six years he has been at the club is marking an upward line, managing to take the team from Second B to First. The Second team was a winning team and in First I don't know what will happen throughout the season, but at the moment it is giving results, so to death with that idea and with the coach.
– Álex and Negredo in the field, who takes the penalty?
– Álvaro (Negredo) knows that last year I was the one who threw them, that it went well for me and, for the moment, I will throw them away, but if one day Álvaro has a great day or looks confident, then he talks. I would love to keep throwing them because I also think I was doing very well.
– What goes through your head that moment before taking the penalty?
– I don't get very nervous because normally I study the goalkeepers before the games. It is clear to me before I shoot, although many times penalties are a lottery and if you are lucky enough that the goalkeeper throws himself to the other side, it does not matter until you have shot badly. They are moments of trust, as you are doubting is when you can have problems.
– How was doing preseason with Madrid and, also, with your brother Nacho?
– Very good. We were very young and being called to train with the first team with Mourinho was a dream. At that moment there were Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Casillas … it was the team of the stars. I will always remember it more as a dream than a reality. It seems incredible to me that I have experienced those kinds of situations, but the truth is that I am super grateful to football for having given me that opportunity.
– I know that Mourinho has a special affection in his family.
– Of course, he also made my brother and me debut with Madrid. Nacho is a player of the first team for him (Mourinho). He gave us the opportunity to stick our heads out of professional football and the First Division and we will always be grateful to him and have great respect for him.
– And how do you remember your debut with Madrid?
– With an incredible illusion. Going to Santander at the age of 18 and making my debut … I have no words. Until that moment, I had been in the quarry for 9 years and being called to debut with the Real Madrid first team is a dream come true. Perhaps one of the most difficult and important of my career. That remains for the rest of my life.
– Debuts before Nacho.
– I made my debut two months before, on the anniversary of Real Madrid, March 6, and Nacho debuted two months later at the Mestalla, but they are coincidences. We were several games called and it so happened that that day a midfielder was missing and I was there. Who debuted before is the least, in the end the one who stayed in Madrid was Nacho.
– What was your debut or Nacho's with more nerves?
– I lived with more nerves than Nacho, because I played about 10 minutes and the game was very controlled. We were winning and the team was playing very well. There wasn't much danger of a comeback. Nacho played as a starter at Mestalla and it was a week-long game, there were Champions and they didn't have the starting team. Going to Mestalla with a team that is not a starter can make you have a very bad time. The truth is that he played very well. I remember that his cufflinks were raised, but he did it wonderfully and it has helped him to make a long career at Real Madrid.
– You played together in Castilla and a Copa del Rey match with the first team, what is it like to play with your brother in Primera and Madrid?
– We had played many games for Castilla, but getting to the first team and playing together was special. We looked at each other thinking that it seemed a lie that we were playing together in the Real Madrid first team. Perhaps at that moment you are not aware of what you are living, you assimilate it years later. I look back and I can say that I have played for Real Madrid in the First Division with my brother. Very few people can say that. I think the Llorente brothers and us. That already remains for the history of Real Madrid, but above all for us and our family.
– Of all the football stages that you have experienced so far, which one do you choose?
– Without a doubt, I'll take the one from Cádiz. I will not fool anyone. The one in Cádiz is the best football stage of my career. I will always stay with it. This has been where I have found my maximum and where I have had a great performance. In the Real Madrid stage I am very young, I start in the professional world, I play in the First Division with Madrid … but you are not that important player within the team. I am achieving that in Cádiz, which I feel is very important. People love you and take care of you for what you do. In Madrid you have that sensation of a star, that you can become … but you do not become that professional player that I am now. I stay with the stage of Cádiz.