Great end to the season
“I believe the start of the match marked the remainder of play. You can’t give them such an advantage so early on, we didn’t even have any time to be inferior or be dominated. Against a team like Real Madrid, if you make mistakes, you pay the price. From then on, I think the team did everything they could during this last match of the season, under adverse circumstances, against a rival who has great security in their gameplay. I cannot blame them for anything, quite the opposite, we shouldn’t be sad because although we’ve had an irregular season, it ended well. We had our options, we lacked that certain point of accuracy, but against a team like Real Madrid, it’s difficult to play with such a disadvantage from the start, as it discourages you and gives a real boost to the rival”.
Way forward
“I always focus on the present, and as I’ve said before, we shouldn’t be unhappy. We came from a situation in which the team was unsure, however the players have been very good, particularly in the two and a half months since we’ve been here. We did well at the end, which is the path to follow for next season”.
Honesty
“The people who live football day to day knew that we weren’t going to give anything away. It didn’t affect us because the lads trained the same as they do every week, I planned the sessions in exactly the same way. If there was any suspicion, well beyond the difference of the teams, today we saw that my players deserve my congratulations for their honesty”.
Team report; outstanding
“I award my players for their outstanding performance, with a cum laude or with honours. Not only in regard to what you’ve seen, but also what you don’t see, and each day, how they’ve participated, competed and respected the coach’s decisions. There are members of the team who haven’t played, yet have trained in exactly the same way since day one, that for me is fundamental. I know it’s only been two and a half months, which is sometimes more bearable than a whole season, but I believe it’s down to them that the situation changed. We were in a worrying position, and at the end of the day, they are the ones who turned it around. If I could ask something for next season, I would ask for the same attitude of the squad that we’ve had over these past two and a half months. I can do nothing more except praise my players, they deserve it, the boys have been sensational with me”.
