In an interview with the club’s in-house media team, Cádiz CF left-back Luis Alfonso ‘Pacha’ Espino discussed how the season is going, both for him and the team as a whole, as Álvaro Cervera’s men prepare to face FC Barcelona in LaLiga Santander on Sunday.
Downturn in form
We’ve suffered a little bit of a dip, but we’ve competed really well against every side. We’ve always stood up to be counted. Hopefully as we battle to stay up we can get back to winning ways and rediscover the form we showed in the first half of the season.
Slump not due to a lack of hard work
It’s not down to how hard we’re working; we absolutely work our socks off at this club. As they say here, la lucha no se negocia (‘giving your all is a must’). Sometimes the results don’t go your way and you have to look to turn that around.
Dealing with adverse results
In football, you’re always going to have your ups and your downs. When things are going well, you have to make the most of it, and when things aren’t going so well, you have to stick together and not let it get you down. If you want to turn things around, you have to keep your head.
Over Covid-19
I’m returning from a period out with Covid and it’s tough. I was out of action for a while. But I’m feeling good, thankfully, and I’m working hard to get back to full fitness.
Receiving the news of his positive test
It’s tough, because you’re midway through the season and you don’t want to miss a single game. During the first week, I used the time at home to chill out. Made the most of being at home with my family. But obviously you start to get itchy feet, you miss coming in for training and you can’t wait to get back. I tried to look at it as a mini-break, but after a while it got frustrating because I was away for 18 days and was champing at the bit to rejoin the lads.
Return after isolation
I feel in good physical nick. I’m not in the kind of shape I was in when I left – I was in really good nick at that point – but I’m working hard to get back to fitness and to be in the same shape as my team-mates. I was so happy to return and couldn’t wait to get back out on to the football pitch.
Settled in Cádiz
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I found it difficult to settle in to begin with. But this club really makes you feel that Cádiz is where you belong, and the fans have got right behind me from day one. That obviously makes it all that bit easier.
Introducing his team-mates to mate, a tea-like drink popular in South America
There are always one or two who get a taste for it. I always try to get the odd team-mate into drinking mate, but it’s not all that easy. Not many tend to like it, to be honest.
Visiting the Camp Nou
It’s going to be a tough test, but I think it’s just the kind of game we need to try and get out of the situation we’re in. It’s a really, really difficult task going to a fantastic ground like the Camp Nou, but it’s the ideal opportunity to change our fortunes. Coming away from there with something would be great.
Differences from the sides’ first meeting of the season
Barça’s pitch is bigger than the one at the Carranza and they play better at home. I think it’s going to be really tough, but we’re going to stick to what we do best, follow our game plan and go out there to defend with everything we’ve got.
Top-quality opponents
In games like this against such good players – and that pretty much goes for everyone we meet at this level – concentration is crucial. You can’t take your eye off the ball for even one second. So that’s going to be vital.
Keys to getting a result
We need to try to get back to the way we were playing before – be strong, don’t let the other team create chances and avoid being caught on the counter. We need to improve and do the things we were doing before but aren’t now. We have to be 100% focused on what we’ve got to do.
Message to the fans
What I’d like to say to the fans is: Thank you so much for your support. It’s a difficult situation. We’d all like to see the Carranza full to bursting with our supporters; we need you. But just keep on supporting us as you have been; we as a team are going to give everything and we’re going to stay up.
