First team

Mariano Gómez: "Being undefeated in four matches means that we are doing our job well, but our focus is entirely placed on the daily routine"

The stellar performances of Mariano Gómez during the closing stages of last season are still in everyone's mind. The young central defender from Santa Fé, Argentina is in his second season with Ibiza where he, despite being only 20 years old, is gradually gaining increasing stature and importance. Today, in the press room, Mariano gave his assessment of Ibiza's start to the new season: "Being undefeated in the last four games is very positive. It means that we are solid and that we are working well as a group. Having said that, our focus is purely placed on our daily routine and on winning our match on Sunday".

The Argentinean knows that the season's statistics of Racing de Ferrol so far are not to be taken too literally. The Galician club's footballers, having been promoted to the division this year, are representing an historical shirt of Spanish football (the club will soon celebrate a century of existence). "Our goal is to be powerful at Can Misses, but we know that Racing is a team that played very well in the Third Division and wants to do the same in Second Division B. Let's see how the match will unfold", explained Mariano.

With a good amount of central defenders playing for Ibiza, Mariano knows that the demands in every training session are at a maximum level in order to be selected in the starting line-up. The club's number 5 put it this way: "There's a strong level of competition: there are several players for each position. It's great because it forces you to train at 100 or 110 percent every day. Not knowing who will be called up to play in the starting eleven requires you to always give that little bit extra".

Mariano, who developed at Club Atlético Unión de Santa Fe, knows that he needs to learn a lot as part of his first adventure in Spanish football. After nine months on the island, he's received more than one lesson from someone who understands him perfectly as a result of having played in the same position at the top level throughout many years: Pablo Alfaro. "I was told plenty of things about him before I arrived. Having played as a central defender, he can teach me many things. In each training session I learn something new and each time I make a mistake or I learn, with him by my side, it is a lot easier for me".