Nacional draws with Albion but has one eye on Sunday's derby against Peñarol

A scoreless draw with Albion, and minds already elsewhere. That summed up Nacional's Thursday: a 0-0 tie in the Copa AUF Uruguay that functioned more as a high-intensity training session than a result in its own right, because with the derby against Peñarol just three days away, everything else takes a back seat.

Daniel Carreño sat down for his press conference and didn't hide anything. He liked what he saw from his players in terms of attitude, even if the scoreline fell short of what they produced in the first half. "We were happy with the team's intensity. In the first half we deserved a goal, and that would have given us peace of mind and let us manage certain sequences, but the goal never came. The second half was fine, but we played in a more individual way and didn't create as many chances," the coach explained.

There's one thing Carreño doesn't shy away from and prefers to address head on: the anxiety among the fans. "There's some unease among the supporters about the way the team plays," he admitted. But he was also clear about the priorities of an unusual week, with three matches in just a few days. There, he said, the coaching staff focused "on something else, on winning." No concern for style, at least for now. "Little by little we're going to have an obligation to improve this team's play," he added, leaving the door open for the collective performance to come together further down the road.

The academy, a relief amid a heavy fixture load

With the squad pushed to its limit by the schedule, Carreño had to lean on young players and came away more than satisfied. He singled out two names in particular: Luciano González and Luciano Rodríguez. "Luciano González is a quality player, Luciano Rodríguez is more of a box-to-box type with a good temperament. They wear the shirt with real pride, and they've performed well in the youth ranks. They've had good performances, there's good quality at the club," said the coach, who had already been tracking them closely in training.

Still, the real focus is elsewhere: Sunday's derby. Carreño was candid about how the planning for facing Peñarol shaped even the match against Albion. "We're the only team that has three days of recovery this round and the next one," he pointed out, making clear it wasn't a complaint. "I'm not complaining and I'm not blaming anyone, I'm just saying how it worked out. That leaves little time to work, but we're going to make the most of what we have and put in solid tactical work to get to Sunday with clear ideas," he said.

How does he picture the match? Like every derby: tight. "Even, like every clásico," he said. He knows Peñarol comes in better positioned in the standings and with the advantage of playing at home, but he didn't want to give that context too much weight. "That's not going to worry us much. Friday and Saturday we'll work on the tactical side and I'll focus 100 percent on that," he said.

As for the starting lineup, he dropped hints without confirming anything. Maximiliano Silvera looks like a candidate to start, not so much because of what he showed against Albion but due to his training form over the past few weeks. He also spoke about Gastón Martirena, who joined the squad this past Wednesday, and clarified that his arrival doesn't automatically mean Emiliano Ancheta loses his spot: "he may lack some match sharpness and minutes on the field, but he'll make up for it with how eager he is to be here," he said of the newly arrived fullback, suggesting both could coexist on the team.

One question remained unavoidable: Maxi Gómez and his history of never scoring in derbies. Carreño didn't make a big deal of it. "It'll come, I don't think that deserves a whole conversation. We always talk about what we want from him, we'll have to build the play so he gets that first derby goal, hopefully this Sunday," the coach said in closing, confident that his forward's moment will arrive right when it's needed most.