Deportivo La Coruna - Elche preview - Depor aim to ease pressure on coach

Posted Sunday, December 14, 2014 by PA

Deportivo La Coruna defender Juanfran Moreno has stressed the need for cool heads and patience as the Galician club try to battle clear of the relegation zone and ease the pressure on coach Victor Fernandez.

Depor play host to fellow strugglers Elche on Monday night looking to end a six-match winless streak in La Liga and potentially move out of the bottom three.

These are tense times for Depor as they attempt to avoid an immediate return to the Segunda Division, and Juanfran is hoping to draw on his experience with Real Betis last season to help his current side out of trouble.

Juanfran was unable to prevent Betis from falling out of the top flight, but he knows what Depor must try to avoid if they want to have a chance of staying up - which includes keeping faith with Fernandez.

He said: "My short experience from last season didn't transmit good things to me. That's why I say that we need to have calm.

"There (Betis), we were struggling with nerves, they started to get rid of people and that wasn't the answer. At this stage of the season they had already got rid of the sporting director and coach. I think you need to have patience, although it's difficult not to get nervous."

With Depor stuck in the bottom three, the spotlight has inevitable fallen on coach Fernandez and a defeat to rock-bottom to Elche could see his position become untenable.

Juanfran assured that the players are not thinking that way though, adding: "Obviously when the results don't come, the first who could go is him (the coach), but in the dressing room we don't have this feeling that the coach is playing for his future.

"Sacking the coach would mean starting again from scratch."

Although Depor are only above the bottom two on goal difference, Elche coach Fran Escriba believes they deserve to be considerably higher up the table.

He said: "Three or four points more, as a minimum, would give the real situation of Deportivo. They've suffered from different circumstances and some bad luck."

That does not mean Escriba will be sending his side out looking for anything other than the victory, though.

After being soundly beaten by Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid in their last two outings, Escriba is looking at Monday's match at the Riazor and next weekend's visit of Malaga as a chance to get their own survival bid back up and running.

He said: "We're looking at this week as being a turning point so we can go into the winter break in the best position possible.

"We're not thinking of the draw, we're going there to win."