Alejandro Gálvez is a man of few words. The Spaniard does not beat around the bush - his answers come across well thought-out and are seldom longer than three sentences. On the pitch, his composed character works in his favour. In front of the cameras, the microphones and the journalists, Alex also keeps a clear head.
Yes, the goal and performance against Dortmund did him a lot of good. No, the important tasks still lie ahead. Yes, he is confident that Werder will pick up enough points. No, the pressure is not getting to him. All this was revealed by Gálvez in typical blunt fashion to the press on Tuesday.
Gálvez is playing a crucial role in the fight against relegation. In contrast to last season, when he was missing for the business end of the Bundesliga with ankle and knee injuries, the recent suspension for Papy Djilobodji has seen the spotlight and with that, the pressure land on Alex at the heart of the Werder defence. "I like playing under pressure. I think it suits me quite well," explains Gálvez. Home wins against both Augsburg and Wolfsburg will come down to having stability in defence. By his side: Jannik Vestergaard. The defensive duo has played a total of 13 games alongside one another: seven of which were won by Werder, two ended in a draw - a decent record by any standards. "In Vestergaard, I have a good quality, calm teammate playing alongside me. We help each other to bring out the best in us," says Gálvez.
In Dortmund on Saturday, Vestergaard and Gálvez recorded their fourth defeat as a defensive partnership. On a positive note: Gálvez did manage to get his name on the scoresheet. "I’m very happy to have finally scored my second goal for Werder," he said. It was 19 months since Gálvez bagged his first goal in a Green-White top, incidentally on his first ever start for Werder against Hoffenheim in August 2014, and he was visibly delighted with having added to this after a long wait. Just like back then; this goal was scored on the half volley, albeit with his right foot this time.
Goalscoring is by no means one of the defender’s core attributes. The 26-year-old is usually far more concerned with the prevention of goals - at the other end, of course. "We are desperate to finally keep a clean sheet. That would be so important for us," said Gálvez looking back at the 28 Bundesliga games this season, all of which have seen Werder concede at least one goal. It’s high time for a clean sheet this Saturday when Augsburg come to town. Gálvez’s corresponding prediction: 2-0.
