Friday, December 13, 2024, 11:02
Along with Iker Pedernales, Bittor Isuskiza and Urki Txoperena, Jon Tena is one of the four players who has remained at Barakaldo since before the club’s conversion into a sports limited company and the arrival of the group of Biscayan investors. The goalkeeper from Irundarra, one of the team’s captains at 31 years old, has been the protagonist of great joy for the Gualdinegros.
His saves will remain in the memories of many fans, such as the one against Anaitasuna in Azkoitia to sentence promotion to the Second Federation, in a season in which he emerged as the goalkeeper with the fewest goals scored in the five main categories of national football – 6 goals conceded in 24 games. Last year, he also safely safeguarded Lasesarre’s goal to be promoted again.
However, in the current campaign, he has lost prominence compared to Unai Pérez. Before returning to Urritxe – he played two seasons at Amorebieta -, he tells EL CORREO how he faces this situation and highlights the important aspects that the factories must pay attention to in order to win the Biscayan derby this Saturday at 8:30 p.m. .
-Four seasons at Barakaldo, 75 games and two consecutive promotions. What has your time at this club meant to you?
-It came after breaking my Achilles. The opportunity arises to sign for Barakaldo in the Third Division and I don’t doubt it. I didn’t know how I was going to respond to the injury, it seemed like a good test, but I got here and everything turned out wrong.
-If you look back, would you have imagined reaching this point the day you debuted against Aurrera Ondarroa?
-No. I would tell you that that day no one expected to get to this point so quickly. Now everything seems very easy and very smooth, but we have been getting everything out little by little, thanks to the daily work of many people. It has cost us what it has.
-What is the key to the success of this Barakaldo?
-That philosophy and motto that Imanol -De la Sota- implemented to always go with fire. The workouts are very intense and demanding. That’s why every weekend we go out to the field the way we go out. That commitment is non-negotiable. Another has been to maintain a base of the staff to teach the values that we bring from below. Also, although it may seem like a cliché, the fans are very important because you went to play at Ondarroa and you felt like you were in a big club because there were fifty or a hundred people there.
-In the previous three campaigns, it could be said that he was the undisputed starter and now he has to play less. How are you doing?
-As for everyone who doesn’t play, they’re screwed. But how I faced it when I was a kid is not the same as how I faced it now when I am 31 years old. When you’re younger you get angry and now I take it more normally. I continue working day by day to try to get in and, if not, then to be as good as possible when it’s my turn. That is what I can do and what is in my power.
-Is it very hard to be a substitute goalkeeper?
-Yeah. Everyone trains to play and it’s hard not to participate when the weekend comes. As captain, I try to help the team from the outside and I am one more.
-What explanation do you give for this change of roles between Unai Pérez and you?
-You should ask the coach because it is his decision and it must be respected. It’s something external to me. I train as well as possible, I go home happy, I do my job and when I have to play, I will be prepared.
-How is your relationship with Unai Pérez?
-Very good. My relationship with Unai has not changed. Now he is the one who plays, but we continue to give each other advice and help each other. The club is where it is because we all come together. He who thinks only of himself is doing badly. It’s about taking the club to the best possible place and the team is ahead of everything.
Urritxe, “a special field”
-Now you return to Urritxe five years after having been there. What memories do you have of that stage?
-I arrived there after being at Real Unión and I spent two beautiful seasons. Both years we started very badly and then we managed to turn it around with great numbers. I am fond of Amorebieta.
-Urritxe has a lot of influence.
-Urritxe is a special field because, when you play at home, you defend very well, but when you go away, you suffer. It happened to us a lot when we went there with Real Sociedad B and Real Unión, when we played a lot. Although now with Barakaldo it changes. It will be a match similar to the one in Las Llanas. We must have things clear, that the team has them, and fight like every weekend. We are lucky to have a large staff, with different profiles and we adapt quickly to any field. The category is new, but it seems like we’ve been here for several years.
-What should they pay special attention to there?
-It is a field where you can have a scoring chance following a clearance. It will be a match marked by details and areas. You have to be attentive at all times. Until the ball goes out, you can’t get lost. It requires a lot of concentration because there is a lot of centering, hitting, second plays in the area…We will have to try to play in the opposite field as much as possible. There is no other secret.
-You already had to play in a special field for you, the Stadium Gal. Do you expect the same to happen this Saturday?
-Well, I hope. As I said, I train every day to be prepared to play every weekend. That’s what every player wants. This year, moreover, more than twenty of us go to each game and a few are left without playing. Some days it’s up to some and others, to others. I hope they give me the opportunity to play and we win the game.
