GARCÍA PIMIENTA: "WE HAVE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AND TOMORROW IS A BIG TEST FOR THAT"

Xavier García Pimienta spoke at the pre-match press conference ahead of facing Rayo Vallecano tomorrow: “It has been four days in a row, without rest, enough, but all planned. The first few days we tried to balance the workload and the last two days have been very good and everyone is ready for a demanding match against a Rayo team that is doing very well this season, very strong at Vallecas and we will have to do everything very well to get what we want, which is the three points," he said.

“Tomorrow there is one thing very clear, and that is that if we win, we will go about them in the table. That is already a great incentive to go to the game and to do things well. There will be fewer and fewer matches left and we will either earn the right to play for important things or not. We have another very important opportunity,” he continued. 

“It's a collective responsibility in sport and sometimes you pay for your mistakes"

On Nyland: “My confidence in him is strong, it's a collective responsibility in sport and sometimes you pay for mistakes, especially when you are closer to your goal. On a weekly basis we analyse what happens. There was a serious mistake that ended in a goal and two others that did not. It's a responsibility for everyone, we did things very well and that is also from a team performance. We strengthen what we do well and correct what we don't do so well”. 

“The reality is that we have 32 points and that is what we deserve. There are days when we have been close to getting more points but we were not able to. I am very happy with everyone's attitude and we have room for improvement. In the final third of the season you play for everything, now we have to see if we have the right to fight for important things, but we have to earn the right," explained Pimienta. 

"Rayo are having an excellent season" 

To finish, he pointed out that “Rayo are having an excellent season, even though they have lost two games in a row. They are doing things very well, they have an excellent coach who is doing a great job and who values everything he is doing. They know that if we are at our maximum level we can beat anyone and I am convinced that we have room for improvement and tomorrow is a big test for that."