Antonio and Barrios on Colón’s PN start, eye Ferro clash | OneFootball

The Colón players spoke with the press ahead of this weekend’s match for the third round of the Primera Nacional against Ferro and said the following.

Antonio

I have to adapt to a tough pitch that wasn’t in the best condition, and I think it’s a valid point, so I believe these first two rounds have been a positive balance for the team.

P. Barrios

Yes, I think we’ve shown a solid team, beyond the goal in the first match, but it’s not just about the defense. I think the whole team is putting in a huge effort to achieve that. Personally, since I arrived at the club, honestly, they’ve treated me amazingly, I felt like just another member and it seems like I’ve been here for a long time, that’s how I feel, so everything becomes much easier. As I said at the beginning, I think the team is making a huge effort from the forwards to the goalkeeper, and well, that’s what we want—to be a solid team and strike at the right moments so that each matchday we can get the three points.

Antonio

I think what Colón did well there was gaining time in getting to know each other, because there was a big turnover, many players left, a lot came in, so just getting to know your teammate is already gaining time. I think that’s a positive aspect and also, as Pierre said, we try to be a solid team because that’s what the division demands, it leads you to that, so I think in these two rounds we’ve shown that. It’s the foundation of the team, that we all run, we all put in the effort, so I think that’s something important for us.

P. Barrios

Yes, I agree with Nacho, I think it was a good move by the directors, the technical secretary, the coach. I think it’s been an advantage for us to have pairs in several areas of the pitch who already know each other. In my case, well, with Flaco we’ve played almost 100 matches together, so it’s a lot and it’s a huge advantage to know how your teammate plays, how he thinks, his movements, sometimes just understanding each other with a look, so I think it’s an advantage we have to maintain over time. It’s a very tough, very complex division, but we have faith that with those small partnerships we already know and with the rest of the squad, with whom we’ve adapted and gelled very well, I think we’re going to have a great tournament, and that’s our goal.

Yes, just yesterday we had a video session, we analyzed Ferro and it’s a squad with a lot of quality, a team with good technique, dynamic, but also when they attack they leave a lot of space and up front we have players of great quality, so they’ll have to be careful in those situations. But yes, I think it’s going to be a tight match, as is typical in this division, but I think we have the tools to hurt them because, as we saw yesterday, they leave a lot of space when defending and in terms of intensity, we’re a very intense team that can win the ball high up, so I think that will be one of the keys.

P. Barrios

Yes, we saw that they’re a team that likes to play, that has good technique. Honestly, even though it’s only been two rounds, they’ve shown very good things, beyond drawing at the last minute against San Miguel. I think they’ll be a leading team, but for us, beyond analyzing what Ferro can do, we’re convinced of what we’re going to do. As Nacho said, also discovering their weaknesses or where they might be vulnerable, I think we have what it takes, especially at home, and as we showed in the first round, I think by being intense and striking at the right moments, we’re going to get those three points we want so much. So we’ll have to fight, run, be intense, play when we can, and try to strike at the right moment.

I believe that a team can have big names, but if the group isn’t strong, isn’t united, it’s useless because what really defends you is the group, and that’s what we’ve built. Honestly, hardworking people have come in, a group has formed that I feel represented by. We spent many days together in preseason and that’s good for getting to know each other. As I said before, most of us are new, so that’s good because over the course of the tournament that’s what defends you and keeps you in the fight for important things.

P. Barrios

Look, honestly, the first match was spectacular. I speak for myself and I think my teammates will agree. We were very anxious for the first match to arrive because we knew we were playing at home, and the reception, the arrival at the stadium, what was experienced on the pitch, in the street. I’m not the one to talk about Colón because we all know what it represents and how popular it is, but we know it’s a plus, not every team has it and we have to take advantage of it, so we expect nothing less for this match. We know the stadium will be packed, that the fans have the same excitement as we do, so we hope it will be a back-and-forth, a back-and-forth with the fans, them cheering us on, us giving everything, and that we can get the three points because I think it will be fundamental throughout the tournament that every time we play at home we can pick up points, and that it’s always three at a time.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.