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Darder: "Survival isn't the only goal"
The midfielder talks in a midweek press conference
Midfield maestro Sergi Darder spoke to the media on Wednesday, in between LaLiga fixtures for RCD Espanyol. The team suffered a controversial defeat in a Monday night match against Real Sociedad, but are looking ahead to a contest against Celta Vigo this weekend.
"Real Sociedad have dominated many games at home, and we knew that it was going to be down to us, because they were not generating many problems. However, we lacked freshness with the ball and hurried things sometimes. Despite this, we reached the 75 minute mark with the score goalless, and on the field I had the feeling that the game was under control. Even so, we would have liked to have had more of the ball and moved our lines higher up," he explained of the loss in the Basque Country.
As for the upcoming match, Darder stated that "For me, the season is 38 matchdays. Celta are a side who we need to beat, but we also need to win the following game. The ambition of the club should not be the minimum; I have not only set top flight survival as a goal. It is the first objective that we have, but not the only one; It must be the beginning of everything."
Questioned about the team's form on the road, the Spaniard reflected that "Teams win more at home. We have to be aware that we have to be strong and keep up our good dynamic at home. We are struggling more on the road, and I think we lack that personality; we have to be braver. At home we are stronger, and having the fans with us makes it feel like more of a responsibility."
“We need to grow. I think the most important thing is to look up. The intention of the club must be to grow over the years, but we come up from the Segunda División this season, and we must not forget that. Hopefully we can play in Europe, I came here for that, but it has its difficulties. Espanyol's project has to be to move upwards, as we are doing, but we have room to aspire to more and be more ambitious."
When questions were posed about a possible contract renewal, Darder responded in a relaxed manner.
"It is not essential to renew now, since I have one year left on my deal. I'm calm, I'm happy at Espanyol, and these are situations that don't depend on me. I am calm and focused on football. If a renewal is done during the holidays, then all the better; it is a matter for the club and agents."