Very important for Leganes to stay in La Liga, will help club grow: Nastasic

Panaji: Matija Nastasic was a late arrival at CD Leganes, missing the initial games in La Liga since he joined towards the fag end of the transfer season, but the message for him and the club’s new signings was always loud and clear.
“It’s very important for Leganes to stay in the league because it’s the first season after gaining promotion,” said Nastasic, speaking to reporters during a global media interaction ahead of Sunday’s clash against Barcelona. “This is a strong competition, and we have to continue working hard. We have to play in this (top-tier) league for the club to grow. It’s important for us players too.”
Founded in 1928, Leganes is the pride of a community that, just a few years short of its centenary, is back among the elite of Spanish football, after winning the second division. With its home resting in one of the largest suburbs on the outskirts of the Spanish capital of Madrid, the club is now into its second stint in La Liga, determined to stay more than the four years that they managed between 2016 and 2020.
“Until now, we are happy that we are above the relegation zone. But on the other hand, we know that in some games, we dropped points. Maybe we could have had three, four, five or even six more points, and that could have put us in a much better position,” said the Serbian defender, who has previously had stints at big European clubs like Manchester City, Fiorentina and Schalke.
Nicknamed Pepineros or ‘cucumbers’ -- Leganes traditionally being an agricultural area known for its cucumber crops -- the club sits 16th on the table, just above the relegation zone, with 15 points from 16 matches. Espanyol and Valencia are below them, with just six points separating the newcomers from the bottom-placed Real Valladoid.
Their next clash is the big one against Barcelona. It’s a trip that has generated plenty of buzz and Nastasic is determined to return with something in the bag. It won’t be easy though, and nobody knows it better than the Serbian centre back.
“The only way to stop them is to play a perfect match as a team and minimize our mistakes because they can punish you in every moment. We want to take points against every opponent. For sure, we know what we are up against, a team that is in great form at the moment. Barcelona will make it tough for us,” said Nastasic.
Nastasic helped Mallorca stay afloat last season but with Leganes it will be a different challenge.
“For every team, it’s difficult when you have to fight to stay in the league. I was with Mallorca for the last two seasons, but it was a bit different situation, because Mallorca was already in La Liga, and it was not the first season coming up from the second division. That was some sort of an advantage.
“For Leganes, it’s different, since the team has just come up from the second division. When you move up, for sure, the hardest point is to stay up. When we joined the club, the new players all knew that it will be a tough season, that we have to push over our limits, try and give everything for this team to stay in the first division,” stay Nastasic.