Soriano: “We're used to suffering”

Fernando Soriano (b. Zaragoza, 1979) speaks exclusively to LFP.es on his current team, UD Almería, a club that feels like his own, about his manager Francisco and on the match of the day, in which they face Joaquín Caparrós’s Granada CF.

LFP.es: How are you approaching your ninth season at the club?
Soriano: With all the commitment in the world because of all the years I’ve been here. It makes you feel more involved and committed to the cause. With the same goal as other years, which is to survive, because Almería is a modest club in the Liga BBVA.

LFP.es: You are captain alongside Corona; what does it mean to you to wear the armband?
Soriano: Being here for so long is what makes me feel valued and loved by the fans; all of this makes me feel a bigger sense of commitment and responsibility than I had when I arrived. In the end the club and the city feel like your own and, while you’re already fighting for something, you put even more heart and more soul into it.

"This is a committed team; we know we represent an entire city and have fans we can’t complain about"

LFP.es: How is the Almería dressing room?
Soriano: The atmosphere’s good and there’s a lot of respect between us. We get on very well. It’s a great and very committed group of people. We know what is at stake in terms of the competition and what it means for an entire city, which is behind us, and fans that we can’t complain about at all.

LFP.es: You played alongside your current manager, Francisco; did you know he would end up being the boss?
Soriano: No, I never thought he’d be my manager; it’s one of those twists and turns of life. At that time I didn’t see anyone who could be my manager. Francisco is a person who has adapted perfectly. When he was in the Liga Adelante he did really well, and in the Liga BBVA, last year, he kept the team going. This year, with our difficulties, we’re a squad that will never be comfortable in the table, but Francisco is a manager who is measuring up.

"We’re aware of our situation; it mustn’t surprise or alarm us"

LFP.es: Last year you didn’t win a game until matchday ten; how did you handle that at the club?
Soriano: The chairman was patient because he trusted what Francisco was doing; he had full confidence - he could see the team ethos he was building and believed in its potential.

LFP.es: This season you haven’t managed to win at the Juegos Mediterráneos Stadium, but you have made life difficult for teams like Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona.
Soriano: We’re doing things well, but we have to step it up because we haven’t won at home yet. We’re not going to get too upset about it, but we are realistic; we know that if we continue as we are we could be in the relegation zone. The squad has the ability to give it everything. We will all have to work hard, individually, to turn things around for the team and try to climb a little higher.

LFP.es: How does it feel in the dressing room being so close to relegation?
Soriano: We’re used to suffering. The fans and the team are aware that we’re a modest club, that our challenge is survival. If we do something extraordinary, very well, we’ll get there in time, but usually the team’s fighting to the end for survival. We’re aware of this situation; it mustn’t surprise or alarm us. What we have to do is pay more attention, have more intensity, focus more on the things we do because if we don’t give 100% in everything we won’t be able to pull this off. 

"Caparrós is a manager with character, fighting spirit, intensity and passion for his work. Hopefully he’ll go away angry, because it will mean we’ve won"

LFP.es: You next match is against Granada CF, at a group where last season you virtually secured survival. What do you remember about this fixture?
Soriano: [Laughter] We even celebrated having survived! We were mistaken to think we had secured survival at that point. We did the calculations on the field and got it wrong. It brings back good memories, but it’s in the past and it will be totally different now.

LFP.es: After four straight defeats, how are you approaching this game?
Soriano: The break came at a good and a bad time, because when you’re losing you want to compete to get out of the rut, but you have more time to fix your mistakes and improve things. Granada are close rivals. They’re a team who started very well and now they’re on a fairly poor run. They’ll have to fight like us, but I know our team will front up to them and give it everything. If we do that, I’m certain that we’ll have every chance of getting a good result.

LFP.es: The opposition are managed by a veteran of Spanish football in Joaquín Caparros; what do you think of the manager from Utrera?
Soriano: He’s a legend; I’ve faced him on several occasions. He’s a manager with character, fighting spirit, intensity and passion for his work. Hopefully he’ll go away angry after the game, because it will mean we have won.