Escassi: “We were a disaster; we weren’t up to the task”

Alberto Escassi, Málaga CF captain, made statements to the media in the Mendizorroza mixed zone, following the defeat and subsequent relegation.

The number '23' knew it would be extremely difficult after the defeat in Fuenlabrada, but he continued to believe until the last moment: “As long as there was a one percent chance of trying, we weren’t going to throw in the towel. That's how it was, yet unfortunately we weren’t relying on ourselves. We wanted to win this match by any means possible to see if Sporting would fall, but it wasn’t to be.”

Once the situation that nobody wanted came to fruition, it was time to take stock: “We were a disaster. There’s no other option than to apologise to the fans and bow our heads, as we haven’t lived up to the Club, the city and everything we represent. We have to be self-critical; we’ve had a disappointing season. There’s nothing left but to apologise and thank the fans for their support, the receptions they gave us when we played at home and the trips they made when we played away.”

Escassi argued that the negative outcome “has been an accumulation of things. At a mental level we haven’t been fresh, at a football level none of us have given our best version, that's how it was seen.”

“We were a disaster. Words are carried away by the wind and it’s logical and understandable for the fans to be angry with us. We apologise, that’s all we can do,” he reiterated.