Fran Mérida: “I feel proud to form part of this squad”
“We’ve never stopped fighting for Champions spots”
Fran Mérida is a young lad with hopes of being successful in the world of football and in his team, Atlético de Madrid. Although his beginnings were at La Masía (Barcelona’s youth academy), Fran is a true Atlético fan at heart. His relatives are from Andalusia and ‘rojiblanco’ supporters, a family tradition that he has inherited. Right after his arrival in Madrid, the Atleti ‘11’ expressed his gratitude for ending up in the ranks of the ‘colchonero’ club. “This is a dream come true,” commented the footballer.
His arrival at Atlético couldn’t have started off in better fashion, as on 29 August 2010 he would win his first title by beating Inter Milan, the Champions League trophy-winners, in the European Super Cup, by a score of two goals to nil. On 16 December 2010 he would score his first goal in European competition, the one which gave Atlético de Madrid a one-one draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the final match of the Europa League Group Stage. “We wanted to continue in the Europa League and we knew that we had the capability to do so, but things didn’t go our way. We paid dearly for the mistakes that we made. In any case, I think that the elimination isn’t going to affect us too much. We have two competitions left and we have to give our all to do well in both of them. Together, we have to fight and by the end of the season reach the goals that we’ve set for ourselves,” he assured in statements made to the Club’s official web page.
In spite of his age, Fran Mérida knows what it means to be at a grand Club. He arrived in the Premier League, in equal fashion as Cesc Fábregas in his day, leaving the Barcelona academy and signing for Arsenal at the tender age of 16. Arsene Wenger gave praise to a very young player who led the Spanish national team in junior age groups. Fran knows that he still has a long way to go, but is aware of his skill on the ball and knows that he has to remain relaxed because he’ll accomplish his most ambitious personal goals in time.
“People still have a lot to see of Fran Mérida. I’m aware that I have lots of room for improvement, as I haven’t been in the world of football for long, I’m young and I have a lot to learn. I hope to continue making progress and hope to play at Atlético de Madrid for many seasons,” he stated.
With a good left foot and natural leadership abilities in spite of his age, this Under-17 European champion knows what his wishes for the New Year are: “I’d like to ask for another year of health for everyone and that we don’t have any injuries in the squad. Athletically, I’d like for the team to finish the season in Champions spots. If we do that, we’d all be very happy.
“I’m happy and very comfortable in Madrid. I have the privilege of playing at the Club that I’ve always loved. It’s my first year and it’s early. I know that I have a lot to show in this Club, but just forming part of this squad makes me feel flattered. I’ve been here for six months and I have a lot to learn. There’s lots of quality in this squad and the coach has a tough job of deciding who to play. There’s healthy competition in every position. I have to work hard to make the choices difficult for the manager and if he sees fit he’ll play me. I want to make it to the level of many of my teammates. I’m little-by-little getting minutes in lots of matches and that’s also important,” acknowledged the Catalan midfielder.
Fran wanted to assess the season so far. The Atlético de Madrid footballer gave a self-evaluation, although he pointed out that the team hasn’t fallen off the pace of the teams at the top of the table. “I think that we have to be pleased because we’re close to our first goal, which is to be in Champions spots. The main thing is that we’re in the battle. It’s true that we haven’t been up to the challenge in certain games, but in general I’d give a positive assessment of this first half of La Liga,” he asserted.
The central midfielder emphasized that the recent league victories have been vital for the team: “The three points that we earned against Málaga were very important for us. We left that game very happy because besides the result, which was a big one despite not playing our best match, they didn’t create much danger. It was a crucial fixture because we were coming off having beaten Deportivo and we wanted to grab a stronghold on a spot near the top. We were fighting to be amongst the teams that will battle for Champions spots at the end of the season.
“There are always thing to improve upon in a team. I think that we’ve made more individual than group mistakes. In general, the team is working well, although we’ve made errors that have cost us points. The gaffer knows how to read those things well and we’ll surely improve after the vacation period,” he stated.
After the team victory over Espanyol of Barcelona in Cup play at Estadio Vicente Calderón, Fran revealed the KO competition really intrigues the Atlético organization. “The Copa del Rey is a competition that we really like, both us and the supporters. We hope to go really far. Espanyol is a very strong team; they’re having a really good season and have shown that they are going to go for broke in both the Cup and in league play. They’re unquestionably the surprise team of the year. They have very good players and will be a tough opponent in the return leg fixture, although we have a slight lead. I’m sure that we can pass through to the next round,” he highlighted.
The Atlético ‘11’ believes that these days off will be very good for the team and told us how he’ll spend the holidays. “I think that a few days of rest is good for all teams. These are days to unwind and be with one’s family. When we come back, we’ll surely be stuck in. We’ll try to continue with the positive run that we left off in Málaga. I’m going to spend them in Barcelona with my friends and family. These are days to relax, take care of oneself and especially to enjoy time with your loved ones,” stated the footballer.
Lastly, Fran Mérida wanted to send a message to the fans, a message of support and hope. “I hope that the supporters have confidence in us. I understand that at times they get down because of a match in which we haven’t played well. We want to show face and give our all on the pitch. We want to give them reason to cheer and get back to the top European competition next year. The fans need to have confidence in this squad; we’ve shown that we’re capable of overcoming difficult moments, such as last year when we wrapped things up with three finals in 2010,” he concluded.
His arrival at Atlético couldn’t have started off in better fashion, as on 29 August 2010 he would win his first title by beating Inter Milan, the Champions League trophy-winners, in the European Super Cup, by a score of two goals to nil. On 16 December 2010 he would score his first goal in European competition, the one which gave Atlético de Madrid a one-one draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the final match of the Europa League Group Stage. “We wanted to continue in the Europa League and we knew that we had the capability to do so, but things didn’t go our way. We paid dearly for the mistakes that we made. In any case, I think that the elimination isn’t going to affect us too much. We have two competitions left and we have to give our all to do well in both of them. Together, we have to fight and by the end of the season reach the goals that we’ve set for ourselves,” he assured in statements made to the Club’s official web page.
In spite of his age, Fran Mérida knows what it means to be at a grand Club. He arrived in the Premier League, in equal fashion as Cesc Fábregas in his day, leaving the Barcelona academy and signing for Arsenal at the tender age of 16. Arsene Wenger gave praise to a very young player who led the Spanish national team in junior age groups. Fran knows that he still has a long way to go, but is aware of his skill on the ball and knows that he has to remain relaxed because he’ll accomplish his most ambitious personal goals in time.
“People still have a lot to see of Fran Mérida. I’m aware that I have lots of room for improvement, as I haven’t been in the world of football for long, I’m young and I have a lot to learn. I hope to continue making progress and hope to play at Atlético de Madrid for many seasons,” he stated.
With a good left foot and natural leadership abilities in spite of his age, this Under-17 European champion knows what his wishes for the New Year are: “I’d like to ask for another year of health for everyone and that we don’t have any injuries in the squad. Athletically, I’d like for the team to finish the season in Champions spots. If we do that, we’d all be very happy.
“I’m happy and very comfortable in Madrid. I have the privilege of playing at the Club that I’ve always loved. It’s my first year and it’s early. I know that I have a lot to show in this Club, but just forming part of this squad makes me feel flattered. I’ve been here for six months and I have a lot to learn. There’s lots of quality in this squad and the coach has a tough job of deciding who to play. There’s healthy competition in every position. I have to work hard to make the choices difficult for the manager and if he sees fit he’ll play me. I want to make it to the level of many of my teammates. I’m little-by-little getting minutes in lots of matches and that’s also important,” acknowledged the Catalan midfielder.
Fran wanted to assess the season so far. The Atlético de Madrid footballer gave a self-evaluation, although he pointed out that the team hasn’t fallen off the pace of the teams at the top of the table. “I think that we have to be pleased because we’re close to our first goal, which is to be in Champions spots. The main thing is that we’re in the battle. It’s true that we haven’t been up to the challenge in certain games, but in general I’d give a positive assessment of this first half of La Liga,” he asserted.
The central midfielder emphasized that the recent league victories have been vital for the team: “The three points that we earned against Málaga were very important for us. We left that game very happy because besides the result, which was a big one despite not playing our best match, they didn’t create much danger. It was a crucial fixture because we were coming off having beaten Deportivo and we wanted to grab a stronghold on a spot near the top. We were fighting to be amongst the teams that will battle for Champions spots at the end of the season.
“There are always thing to improve upon in a team. I think that we’ve made more individual than group mistakes. In general, the team is working well, although we’ve made errors that have cost us points. The gaffer knows how to read those things well and we’ll surely improve after the vacation period,” he stated.
After the team victory over Espanyol of Barcelona in Cup play at Estadio Vicente Calderón, Fran revealed the KO competition really intrigues the Atlético organization. “The Copa del Rey is a competition that we really like, both us and the supporters. We hope to go really far. Espanyol is a very strong team; they’re having a really good season and have shown that they are going to go for broke in both the Cup and in league play. They’re unquestionably the surprise team of the year. They have very good players and will be a tough opponent in the return leg fixture, although we have a slight lead. I’m sure that we can pass through to the next round,” he highlighted.
The Atlético ‘11’ believes that these days off will be very good for the team and told us how he’ll spend the holidays. “I think that a few days of rest is good for all teams. These are days to unwind and be with one’s family. When we come back, we’ll surely be stuck in. We’ll try to continue with the positive run that we left off in Málaga. I’m going to spend them in Barcelona with my friends and family. These are days to relax, take care of oneself and especially to enjoy time with your loved ones,” stated the footballer.
Lastly, Fran Mérida wanted to send a message to the fans, a message of support and hope. “I hope that the supporters have confidence in us. I understand that at times they get down because of a match in which we haven’t played well. We want to show face and give our all on the pitch. We want to give them reason to cheer and get back to the top European competition next year. The fans need to have confidence in this squad; we’ve shown that we’re capable of overcoming difficult moments, such as last year when we wrapped things up with three finals in 2010,” he concluded.
