With an unbeaten streak of seven matches between LigaPro and Copa Ecuador, "El Nacional is on the right path," said coach Marcelo Zuleta. The Argentine highlighted the "good present" of his squad, but clarified that "we were not a disaster before, nor are we phenomenal now," and made it clear that the team will fight in both tournaments.

"The squad is improving, we have achieved consistency, we are a team that troubles its opponents, at some point we will have to lose, but the team that beats us will have to give it their all," said the strategist.

El Nacional is out of the playoffs in LigaPro based on goal difference, they are ninth in the table after Emelec with 27 points and +2 average goals, one more than the locals, who will face the blues on Monday (19:15) at the Atahualpa Stadium.

"The team is going through a good moment, not crazy because we still have a way to go to achieve the goal of entering the top eight in the tournament, but there has been a change, it's a different team from the first semester because we play more with the ball, we see more football. It's a good present that takes us forward on the path we are looking for, which is to enter the playoffs. We are also fighting in the Copa Ecuador, and all of this is thanks to a joint effort that pushes us forward; things are coming together but we work calmly," Zuleta said.

The coach anticipated that the upcoming weeks may be decisive. His team will host Emelec and visit Olmedo in LigaPro, and then face Barcelona in the Copa Ecuador. "These matches will be a good gauge to see where we stand, but we will fight," he said. (D)