“The teams that beat us had a hard time getting points”

Four points out of 18 contested places have Espanyol one place above the relegation places, with the same points as Valladolid, the first of the three occupants of the caboose. Despite this situation, Brian Oliván, one of Diego Martínez’s regulars, is optimistic when talking about the trajectory and prospects of the blue and white team.

How do you assess your start to the season, as one of the players with the most minutes?

It was great, because I enjoyed the coach’s confidence, although it wasn’t the start everyone wanted. I am very comfortable at the club, I am in my city, working every day to improve. I hope the good results come soon and everything will be better.

He is a winger, but he also played as a center-back… Do you see yourself as a real option to play there?

I feel very comfortable there, at my previous club I played in that position several times, defending three or five. I fit in perfectly. In San Mamés this happened and I had no problem, I feel very comfortable in that demarcation.

Lack of results: does it destroy locker room morale?

Not allowed. We are a group, as I see it, eager to learn, to move forward. Results prevailed, which is what matters in professional football. But we are doing things well, despite the fact that we need to improve: we conceded many goals. But we competed in the first six games against teams that were at the top (Sevilla, Athletic, Real Sociedad, Real Madrid), face to face, had options or were very close to winning games. We are developing a lot in attack, we have chances, but we need to improve defensively, not conceding those goals because of mistakes that can be saved. And for this, I am not so worried, because they are very easy to correct mistakes.

Diego Martínez emerged as the leader of the project, with the confidence of all levels of the club. How does this leadership live from within?

We all went to one. No individuality prevails, we put the group and the team first, each giving their best version. With this philosophy, things will work out for us in the long run. The coach is a leader and we are pleased. I want people to see the training sessions, because of the competitiveness that prevails.

Will these 10 days without League help you correct those mistakes?

Absolutely. We have had some down time in recent weeks to improve these issues where we have room for improvement. Besides, we will have more troops because those who pull the discomfort will be better. I am very proud of my team. We did a very good job, not 10 because it means we won all the games, but I have a lot of confidence in the team, we showed our faces: the teams that beat us struggled. to take the three points.

What does the coach ask of you, as a winger and lane player?

These are positions in which I have played since I was little. What he asks of us is, first, you are a defender, and therefore you are the winner of individual battles, that they do not pose a danger to your team and when you can, you pose a danger to the team.

An important month of October is coming up, with the rivals at the bottom.

It doesn’t matter which rivals are more or less powerful, they are all First Class. But this is a month where we have to go 120% to reach the break in the World Cup after recovering the points we deserve more. And with the return of confidence, especially in the aspect of conceding goals.

If you were asked to summarize these first six days, how would you do it?

Well, it is said that we have better feelings than points. But it’s not worth it because you didn’t take the games. And the fans are proud of the team, which is what we are looking for. The image is better than the points obtained.

Mistakes, he says, are easy to correct…

These are team mistakes: one day on one and another on another. But we are a team. If they are mistakes that are difficult to correct, it will be more complicated. But these are easy bugs to fix, so I’m confident we’ll do it. No more stories.