Íñigo Pérez, before the match against AEK: “At Rayo we are specialists in building or fixing from the ruins, no better way to put it”

There is no match in Vallecas where the Rayo fans do not shout against their president, Raúl Martín Presa, because of the situation the club is in regarding everything that does not have to do with what their players do on the pitch. The sports facilities, both in the stadium and in the training ground, are deplorable to the point that the players and the coaching staff took a step forward to issue a statement. “During the preseason, the squad was close to three months without being able to train at the training ground due to the poor condition of the fields.” This did not only happen in the preseason. In February, when the match against Oviedo in Vallecas was suspended, they had to move the training sessions and the match against Atlético was played in Butarque. In these terrible conditions, the resilient Rayo is one small step away from making history in Europe. Íñigo Pérez’s team will have to survive the hell of Athens this Thursday (21:00, Movistar+) but, at the same time, they are fighting to stay in the First Division.

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The emphatic victory in the first leg against AEK (3-0) took its toll on Rayo last Sunday. The Madrid team fell spectacularly by 3-0 against Mallorca in a direct duel for survival. A win at Son Moix would have left survival within reach, but the painful defeat left Íñigo Pérez’s team three points from the relegation spots on a day when their pursuers — Levante, Oviedo, and Elche — won. “If they guarantee me that by losing the tie on Thursday we stay up, I’ll let it go. Right now I’d sign it, I prefer survival and we celebrate staying in the First Division, which is our essence, but since we don’t know that, what’s left is to assimilate the defeat and Thursday will come,” said the coach after the defeat.

Despite these statements, the Rayo coach not only has the semifinals at his fingertips but also sees a Rayo champion in Europe as feasible. “I think it is feasible, knowing the complexity, to win the Conference. We must not hide in the message and we are on it,” he assured before the first leg against the Greek team.

This Wednesday, Íñigo again left an implicit message to the club’s top management to represent and highlight what they achieved last season and especially this one. “I think we should not think about the three-goal lead that we must maintain or protect. At Rayo Vallecano we are specialists in building or fixing from the ruins, never better said,” the coach hinted.

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The value of the fans

In that statement from the squad, not only were the poor conditions suffered by the players denounced. They also defended the crucial role that the fans play in demanding better treatment towards them. “The Rayo Vallecano fans are a fundamental pillar and one of the club’s greatest assets, and we firmly believe that these fans deserve greater care and consideration. They are worthy of admiration, regardless of the team’s circumstances.”

More than 1,500 people are traveling to Athens to see their club make history and Íñigo carries the responsibility of the fans’ hope. “Since we were little, we watch European ties, Champions or World Cups. We see people, entire towns moving, and I think that regardless of what then happens on the pitch, it is the most beautiful thing to see. We as players or coaching staff of Rayo, I already said it in Bratislava, which was the biggest disappointment I have had as a coach — when the team lost 2-1 — we have a feeling of debt that is very important. It grows every time we go to the stadium in Vallecas and now, when this year we have traveled in Europe and see the difficulties each trip has, what they do for us, what they do for this strip, what they will give us tomorrow, the responsibility with the occasion increases,” the coach elaborated.

25 years after that elimination in the Europa League quarterfinals against Alavés, with Juande Ramos on the bench, Rayo wants to reach historic semifinals. All this at a critical moment for Vallecas, which sees its club’s conditions worsen every day.

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