It is no coincidence that Deportivo Eldense had a good season in their return to the Second League. The great work done by Fernando Estévez’s students has a style of play that everyone understands and shares, which translates into a reliable team that trusts what they do on a daily basis and the results speak for themselves. One of the architects of the team’s good campaign is the 33-year-old left-back Marc Mateu, who arrived from Huesca (Eldense’s next rival) last summer and is the undisputed replacement for Fernando Estévez in the eleven. Although the Valencian player was the third player with the most minutes on the team, he was very close to moving to Espanyol last winter season.
—How do you evaluate your first months at Eldense?
— They had told me good things about the club and the fans before arriving, and Timor had already been here for a few weeks. I knew everything would be so easy.
—Did you expect to be in such good athletic shape at this point?
—Personally, I didn’t come with expectations of being higher or lower, I just want to see what happens, what we’re working towards in the games and what we’re achieving right now.
— Beating Huesca would be important…
— Yes, we have to be strong here because they can be direct rivals at the end of the season, because of the goal scoring problem, because we are playing at home, and we have to make sure that people do not like to come here and play.
—What memories do you have about the city of Aragon?
— Now they are not the same as when I came, but they are a serious club. I have a lot of friends from there and I miss them from time to time.
— When we got there the obligation was to return to the First League.
—This was our goal, but we failed. There were manager changes, there was little patience due to the huge investment made and almost nothing came of it, but at the same time you learn.
— He could have had the opportunity to play in the elite teams of Spanish football.
— Yes, it was an illusion, but nothing happens. This opportunity was not for me.
— If you had signed for Espanyol, you would have had the chance to fight for promotion in this market.
— It could have been, but an agreement that was satisfactory to all parties and kept everyone in their place could not be reached.
—What made you stay in the end?
—Frankly, when an Espanyol comes to you, you like it even more at my age. What is happening is that they have to reach an agreement between the clubs and at this point no agreement has been reached. You don’t need to think any more because it’s worse. Now I will continue Eldense, I love it very much and I love competing.
—What if they come back for you in the summer?
— It will be the same as what happened in the winter market. They will need to talk between the clubs about what they each want, know my opinion and start negotiating.
—Do you aspire to reach higher levels in Eldense?
— This category is very treacherous and if you relax, they will crush you without even realizing it. I’m not thinking about anything except tomorrow’s game and if we finish with 37 points better, 35 better, the important thing is not to stop scoring goals.
—So how are you doing in Elda on a professional level?
— I am comfortable, we play the football I love, we compete in all stadiums, we are very close to scoring goals and this makes daily life more comfortable.
—What grade have you given to the team so far?
— A remarkable one, seven.
—And a chant for the match against Huesca?
— 2-0, with my goal.
“KEY PARTY”
Eldense and Huesca to avoid relegation
► Eldense and Huesca will meet in a direct duel at the Nou Pepico Amat this Saturday (16:15) to avoid relegation, and victory in this duel will allow the local team to achieve the main goal. Deportivo comes to this event on the back of a superb win against Espanyol (3-2) in its last home game at Nuevo Pepico Amat and on the back of a seven-day unbeaten streak. For this match, Estévez cannot rely on defender Darío Dumic, midfielder Youness Lachhab and forward Florin Andone, who are in the final stages of recovery from their injuries.