Castillejo calls for fans’ patience

Samu Castillejo admits “it’s normal that the fans are impatient” with Malaga’s slump but has called for some leeway ahead of Almeria on Saturday.

The Andalucians looked destined for a Europa League qualifying spot at the turn of the year, but a run of just five wins in the 24 matches since then have left the side’s hopes of a top-half finish in La Liga hanging by a thread.

“The Coach set us straight from day one, and we know that this game is a final,” the young midfielder said at a Press conference.

“Almeria will be very hard. They made ​​us suffer in the home game, so we’ll try to get the three points.

“[Losing the fans] is something we’ve talked about day after day. It’s normal that the fans are impatient with the slump.

“However, they can’t forget that players are young. For some of us, it’s our first year in La Primera.

“They must also acknowledge our position in the table, which is still very good.

“I can assure you that everyone, from the Coach to the last player, is striving towards the club’s objectives.

“With their new Coach [Sergi Barjuan, Almeria] are much more compact and have good players in attack.

“We’ve been starting games with the anxiety of solving the match quickly.

“It’s our desire to win and the excitement that we put into everything, but it’s true that we’re not having our best time of it at the moment.

“After such a long season and so many games, it’s true that I’m starting to feel the effects of exhaustion, but that’s for the Coach to decide.

“I’ll continue to give my best as there are only three games remaining. Surely the fans didn’t trust us [like they do now] at the start of the season.”

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