2023-07-28 14:22:51
BarcelonaFernando Calero (Boecillo, Castilla i Lleó, 1995) has no problems stepping on the “mud” again, the term used by Espanyol fans to define the team’s new step through the Second Division. The central player, who was promoted in the previous two seasons contested in the silver category, admits that the instability the club is experiencing in the offices does not help a squad that is to blame for the last two relegations. She is no longer the young promise that several European clubs wanted. The defender speaks to the ARA with the serenity of someone who has matured with blows and a lot of psychological work.
Assoon as arrived at Espanyol he has been under the command of eight coaches. Is Luis García’s proposal the best fit with his virtues?
— It is true that the years I have been at the club have been a bit hectic, with many changes of coach, but we are professionals and we must try to perform with any coach and proposal. Luis’s is a brave and attractive proposal, also in the eyes of the fans, who prioritize the game with the ball and which we already have quite internalized. I think it suits my style well. Hopefully we can shape her the way she wants, that’s how the results will come.
Does so much instability on the bench, both in terms of names and style, affect the squad?
— Of course it’s complicated and difficult, but we are the players who are mainly responsible for this situation, because we haven’t been able to get the most out of the idea that other coaches have wanted to convey to us. The players to blame for this situation were the players, who did not give their best and did not achieve the expected results. Just as we went up in 2021, we must return the team and the fans to Primera. I see people animated, with enthusiasm, and by doing things well we will have a lot to gain.
When I signed for Espanyol I expected to find more stability. Especially the first months, which didn’t go well, cost me more”
How has he lived these four years, in which he has suffered declinesinjuries, substitutions and individual and collective errors?
— They are complicated situations that help you to mature. It is true that when I signed for Espanyol I expected to find more stability. It was a team that had been in the First Division for many years, a team with a lot of name and history. I was very young, at first it was difficult for me to assimilate certain things and I had a hard time. Especially the first few months, which didn’t go well, is what cost me the most. The last few years have helped me mature a lot. Now I take things more calmly, and I see it as natural to have good matches as well as some that don’t go so well for me, and I know that next week there is a new opportunity and I have to clear my head to try to be in the best physical and mental conditions to give the maximum.
Various dressing room mates, like Sergi Darder, they have admitted that they have turned to some expert in ‘coaching’. Did you also talk to a sports psychologist?
– Yes. At certain times I had to resort to it. It’s a fact that used to be strange, but now most footballers have them. I went there a while ago and it was great. Now with the acquired maturity and the help of my family I am handling it quite well, but it should not be a taboo subject. In any profession, external help may be needed when one is not able to get out of a rut, it is a completely normal fact.
At what point did you get there and how did working with a psychologist help you?
— In the society we live in, we tend to wait until the end, to the point where we see that we are not able to get out of certain situations. We should turn to these professionals much earlier. Even when they’re good, they’re a support that helps you see things you might not see for yourself. Any external help, whether from psychologists or through the family or a close person who makes you see things in a different way and helps you, is very important. I got off social media because I was reading too many toxic comments that weren’t helping me. Now I just have some to keep up with the news.
I experienced difficult times when I saw everything negative and thought that nothing was going well for me”
What were your thoughts?
— They are difficult times when I saw everything negative and thought that nothing was going well for me. External help makes you see that neither yesterday you were the best nor now you are very bad, that you haven’t forgotten to play football. You’ve been playing there all your life and you’re privileged and one of the few who get there, so to get here you’ve had to do a lot of things right. When you are not able to see this for yourself and all your thoughts are negative, you need external help.
How has this psychological work helped you grow on the grass?
— Now I look more mature, and on the grass that helps you if you fail. In fact, it is an idea transmitted to us by Luis García, that you can fail as many times as you like, but you have to try. If you miss a pass or an action, you don’t have to be demoralized, because the game lasts 90 minutes and you immediately have to be ready to do the next action well. You have to be focused throughout the game.
Has he had the possibility or the temptation to leave Espanyol on any occasion?
— At the moment I have a contract, I renewed it last year for two more seasons, until 2026. I am at ease and calm here, and the club has told me that I am a player they want to have this season. They trust me and I want to thank them on the pitch. We both want the same thing, so there’s not much more to talk about – I’ll stay here. It will be my fifth season. I know the players, the coaching and medical staff, I’ve made it a routine to go to training, I know everyone and I’m delighted here. I want to convey that confidence to both the people who have been on the team and the new ones and gain weight in the locker room.
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