Pepe Mel stated in Riazor's press room this morning that he is sure that one point in the remaining two matches will suffice to avoid relegation, “but we have to go out to win 3. And when the next game comes, we have to go out to win 3. Another mentality would be very mediocre. The thing is, situations drain you”.

The Deportivista coach assured everyone that “when the referee blew the final whistle in the match against Espanyol, we were all in a bad way. We also thought it was unfair. We were upset by the way and how it happened. I think we did enough to at least gain one point minimum. That day we were in a really bad way. The next day we had to lift the players’ spirits. And as the week goes by, things are seen in another light. You work well”.

He insisted that the players “are the first who want their work to turn out well. Nobody goes to work wanting things to go bad nor do they not care if they turn out badly. Besides, this person sitting here would not allow it, because my job and everything it entails is on the line”.

In Villarreal (8 pm, Bein Sports), “we expect a tough rival, a rival that is playing for things and that performs well. They are in an ideal position seen from below. But we have to go and challenge them, and make it difficult for them”.

When asked about the fans’ doubts whether Deportivo would gain anything in Villarreal, the blue-and-white coach replied: “They have suffered enough to ask them to have some faith. The ones that have to believe are the players and the coaching staff. Because the coaching staff has influence over them until a second before the ref blows the whistle, and from that moment on, the players have to believe until the end”.

Along these lines, Pepe Mel highlighted that “we can’t ask the fans anything. We’re in debt with them for a thousand reasons, and with the little the team gave in the second half against Espanyol, they proved that they believe, that they're with us, that they’re behind us. But it’s not the time for words now, it’s not the time to speak to the fans. Words are meaningless now. It’s time to perform, to do things, to gain that point and stop being pessimistic”.