“It is normal that we are criticized and more is demanded of us, we assume it”
MADRID, 3 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The player of the Spanish team Irene Paredes reiterated that they are aware that the heavy defeat against Japan came in a bad game from which they will have to learn and correct many things, but she assured that against Switzerland, in the round of 16 of the World Cup, they will follow their game plan without added pressure and without paying attention to what is said about the team in the press.
“We have things clear, knowing that several points have to be worked on. And due to the pressure, we do not pay attention to what is said. We are clear about the objective, what we want and what we can do”, assured the central defender in a conference press.
In addition, he asked for a balance between praise and criticism. “When we win the games, it’s up to you to inflate it and say how good and we are the first to have our feet on the ground. We can do things very well, but there are bad days and the other day was very bad. But It seems that we are not worth anything. You have to find a balance,” he said.
Paredes denied, yes, that the media noise bothered them. “It doesn’t bother, it’s part of work and our life. Just as we like that there is so much coverage, we know that we are exposed to getting hit when things don’t go well, and even more knowing how well we can do it. It’s normal that criticize us and demand more of us, we assume it,” he was honest.
On a personal level, the Blaugrana assured that she was “fine” despite her bad game against Japan. “Against Zambia it was one of those ‘good’ days but against Japan I appear in all the goals, coming close to saving a few. It’s not funny when goals go in when you can be able to avoid them. I’ll try to do better, if I can participate against Switzerland,” he argued.
“The worst thing is that the goals were quite similar and we didn’t know how to change anything at that time. Due to the way we attack, we deployed the team a lot and the other day they caught us, and well, on the counters. And Japan did it perfectly , with one hundred percent effectiveness”, he reiterated about that 4-0 against the Japanese at the end of the group stage.
Despite the fact that it was difficult to forget that defeat, Paredes assured that the team is already excited thinking about the duel against Switzerland. “It’s hard to turn around a setback like that. We’ve had a couple of bad days but we’re already looking forward to playing against Switzerland and showing what we’re capable of,” he said.
“I have a very good relationship with Ana-Maria, at Barça I usually go with her in all the exercises because we get very stung and we demand a lot from each other. I would define her as an athlete, who does not lower her legs at any time, He is the leader and has 150 international caps. He is capable of changing the mood of the team and can go from area to area throughout the game”, highlighted one of the Swiss stars, his teammate at Barça Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic.
On the other hand, he assured that having the family in New Zealand makes up for the lack of a Spanish public in the stands. “We are having the family here and it is appreciated, knowing that you have yours in the stands gives you that ‘punch’ and that encouragement to perform better. We are seeing many Spanish flags from people who encourage us and support us and are grateful. When you have more people who support you, you like it, but it’s difficult to come here and we know that there are people in Spain cheering us on,” he acknowledged.