Javi López, captain of Espanyol, He has recognized this Wednesday that the challenge of achieving permanence is the most important and difficult in his entire career. He assures that of achieving them “a historical moment will be lived ” and considers that the fact that his team has fewer hours of rest between the first games, compared to his rivals “is going to show a lot”. It is of the opinion that the fans must enter all fields at once, without differentiating by phase.
– How are you after the first training sessions?
“We came from a few atypical weeks, with individual training at the beginning, always knowing that there was a regulation to be followed for safety. We have tried to take everyone in the best possible way to arrive with the best guarantees at the restart of the championship, a very important moment ”
– What are the physical and mental sensations?
“On a mental level, everything we have experienced since the state of alarm was established has only supposed one thing, that we have come out stronger because we have seen what can happen and how life can change us. I can only have a memory of the deceased and be grateful now for being able to do what we like and little by little, return to a new normality.
On a physical level, you have to face Saturday's game with the maximum possible guarantees after having made an atypical preseason, with very few weeks. We already knew that it would be so and we must hope that in this beginning of the League it does not take its toll. It is a very big challenge and we hope to take it forward ”.
– Is it the most difficult challenge in your career?
“Totally, it is the most difficult challenge since I came to Espanyol 13 seasons ago. It is a time to make history; We know the difficulty of the situation but we have the illusion of turning the situation around. You have to go out with everything as of Saturday ”.
– Will it be final not to score in the first matches? of not winning, goodbye to salvation?
“We are not considering not scoring. In the locker room we are not talking about the eleven games, but right now only on Saturday. We only talk about playing a good game, respecting the rival and by all means manage to get the points to stay at home ”.
– Will mental strength be important?
“I think that mental strength has been strengthened because we have all done an exercise of responsibility in this confinement because we have not been able to see the family for months. Strength is key and we are prepared for it ”
– Confirmed the schedules, they will have 24 hours less than some rivals. Should you ask for equity?
“When you play 3 games in 7 days and a team is 24 hours ahead, it is a differential fact. And even more now that we have had so little preparation, we can see a lot more 24 hours of rest. But now it is time to adapt and that cannot serve as an excuse, but to face it with the maximum possible guarantees. If Saturday is very hot, nobody will put our integrity at stake again, and next Saturday's schedule will be rethought. ”
– Public presence
“It would be unfair for a stadium to have an audience based on the phase its territory is in and not others. It is something that the Government must make clear because having the fans is a differential factor. We would like it all to be at the same time, it is only fair ”
– Do you support the return of the public at the end of June? see it premature?
“I am not a specialist and I do not know the possibilities of a new regrowth. Football without a hobby is nothing. The experts on the subject should say so and that's it. What I want is my stadium to burst, because with them we are invincible “
– How should the team improve to have options?
“The dynamic that we had was costing us mistakes and losing games. Before all this happened there was a certain level of nerves and negativism. We have done well to think about what we should do and how important this club is. We are going to fight for this challenge, being positive ”.
– More hungry than ever in this final stretch after the reset?
“We are going with more enthusiasm than ever. I breathe in training that something has changed. This reset has helped us to clean the head and on Saturday it has to be seen. There we have the opportunity to demonstrate the hunger and ambition of which we speak. Everything we say here, if it is not reflected in the field, will be useless. It is time to be quiet, work and demonstrate it on Saturday in the field.
– How is your renewal?
“The club has always given me confidence. Now we have a challenge ahead of us important enough not to talk about individual issues. ”
– Alavés game?
“It is a fairly orderly team and it works very well against the counter. It has an important loss, Joselu's but it surely has players to supply it with guarantees. We must use our best weapons to get a favorable result ”.
– How are the players who have passed the coronavirus?
“Today it may be that we are all at a similar level. What worries us is how their bodies will respond when they make a maximum effort, in a 90 minute match. They have passed a disease of which there are things that are not yet known. For the good of all, I hope they can face it with guarantees and nothing happens. ”
– How will the team grow now?
“Looking at the Bundesliga, where there have been round-trip matches, the physicist after two months, it will show a lot. The team will grow from order, from being together in defense and attack, knowing when to press. Being a united block is the key to seeing growth. “
– Are you going to be able to avoid contacts in parties? Precautions?
“In training we have complied with the regulations and we have carried out the protocol. But in a social distance game, not touching you is complicated, you are unconscious after maximum effort. It will take time to get used to it. But at the beginning the protocol seemed impossible to comply with, but doing our part, we have carried it out. ”