Back
“We have to believe”
Diego López calls on his teammates to change in order to get out of the side’s current predicament
Taking responsibility, but confident. Diego López was clear in his press conference appearance that there are certain things the team has to change in order to improve and added that the team has to keep believing in itself.
“The manager has said he wants us to play to the best of our ability and improve. The way we’ve played up until now isn’t good enough to keep us up. We have to make substantial changes to the way we compete, to our attitude, and in order to minimize mistakes. Did it bother me? No. The players know that we’re not playing well and that things have to change now. Everything the manager said was true, we need to take a step forward and get ready for what’s to come. We have to win a lot of points to stay up”, López said. The Galician remarked further that “Not getting relegated is on everyone’s mind, but right now we’re in a really bad position in the league, and in a difficult situation. The game against Osasuna showed us how football has changed, that any team can beat you on any given day. We have to be one of those teams that can go to any ground and be difficult to beat, tough to play against”.
The goalkeeper continued, “We have to keep moving forward and believing in ourselves that we are going to succeed. It’s not going to be easy, but we have to believe, stay positive and take responsibility”. The Espanyol number 13 called on his team mates to “more compact, more competitive. We have to concentrate, to live and breathe for every minute on the pitch. Every pattern of play is important, every game is tight and well-matched, and the tiniest of details can impact the result.
With regards to the game against Real Madrid, he recognized that it’s a “tough place” to play, and added that “obviously they’re a great side, but it’s also an opportunity for us. There has to be a notable change in the way we play. It’s one of the toughest places to go, but we have to play well.