Jefté Betancor has set the immediate target for the UD Las Palmas squad: to reach the 50-point survival mark as soon as possible. The forward, a product of the club's youth academy, spoke on Thursday at the Barranco Seco facilities and placed the responsibility for changing a negative trend on the whole group.
The team sits 15th with 11 points after nine matchdays, following a run of one win, one draw and three defeats in their last five games. The most recent was a 3-1 loss to Mallorca last weekend. This Saturday they host third-placed Castellón in a key match to turn things around.
A message of unity
Betancor avoided controversy over the sudden departure of coach Rubén de la Barrera. "A coach change does not depend on the players, but on the club," he explained. "We are all to blame. We haven't managed to find the key. But the dismissal was not our doing." The attacker insisted the dressing room is "more than united" and that everyone, especially the veterans, must step forward. "It is time to be united and get out of this by any means," he stated.
The player acknowledged the president's words, who asked for greater commitment at an event in Telde on Wednesday. "What the president has told us is to take a step forward to pull this through," Betancor said. "We have a squad for that and for more."
Adaptation to the new coach
With the arrival of Juan Manuel Rodríguez, the team has had only two sessions to assimilate new concepts. "We have been with Juan Manuel for a very short time," admitted the forward. "The days until Castellón have to pass. We are working on the concepts he wants. We have to take a step forward." Betancor, who was top scorer in Greece with Panserraikos, trusts that the goals will come with work and that the dynamic will change soon.
The promotion objective now seems more distant, but the player prefers to focus on the immediate. "We have to get the 50 points as soon as possible and from there, hopefully we get more to be able to climb to other things," he declared. The squad faces a decisive week with an eye on the fixtures schedule and the need to pick up points for the standings. The match against Castellón at the Estadio Gran Canaria is the first opportunity.
First reported at canarias7.es
