Nico Melamed: ‘We don’t want to let go of the automatic promotion spot’
The UD Almería attacking midfielder says promotion to the top flight of Spanish football is now ‘a necessity’, not just a ‘desire’, in an interview with UDA Radio
Nico Melamed has gone from hope to necessity when speaking about returning to the top flight of Spanish football. In an interview with UDA Radio, the Club’s official station, the UD Almería attacking midfielder admitted that playing in the top tier again has become something he truly needs.
‘I really miss playing in the top division; it has even become a necessity for me to be there,’ he explained. ‘It’s the objective for everyone at the Club and for me personally, having already achieved promotion with RCD Espanyol and then coming to UD Almería and being so close to another promotion last season only multiplies my desire. We deserve it. I reckon this could be our year.’
The 24-year-old also made it clear that maintaining the current position in the table is a priority: 'It all depends on our mentality and approaching things with ambition if we want to dream about promotion. We don’t want to let go of the automatic promotion spot. We don’t want to fall from there.’
With the team currently on a 6-match unbeaten run, UD Almería are preparing to face several opponents who are fighting to climb away from the lower part of the table. ‘The standings can be misleading,’ he warned. ‘Teams near the bottom often have more urgency than those in mid-table and because of that they give everything they have. We can’t relax at all against opponents like that.’
The Castelldefels native also spoke about the atmosphere surrounding the Club as the season enters its crucial phase: 'This is the moment of truth because this is the stage where everything gets decided,’ he said. ‘We can feel that everyone is pushing together and the fans believe something special could happen. In football anything can happen in a single match, but it’s much easier to get results when everyone pulls in the same direction, both inside and outside the club,' he added.
Melamed finished with a clear statement of intent: ‘Everything is flowing right now and inside the dressing room we truly feel like serious contenders to win the league.’