Match conclusions
“We went out to win and ended up with one point. The lesson has to come from the world of football, there were only 51 effective minutes played. No added time in the first half, even though the game was stopped three or four times. Player health should be prioritised before returning to the pitch. Every time we got into a rhythm, it was stopped again and again. The rules say that if the ball is moved and the goalkeeper wastes time, it’s a yellow card. It doesn’t matter when, it benefits the team that doesn’t want to play. We’re happy, we more than earned the right to win, we had double the shots, but none went in to take all three points.”
Positive performance
“Even though we didn’t win, we played a good game. If any of the 20 shots had gone in, we’d be talking about a great match. We reached the area many times and took lots of shots, that’s what we need to keep aiming for. You leave with more doubts when you’re dominated and have no chance to win, but that wasn’t the case today. I want to congratulate the players, they put in an immense effort. Sometimes the ball goes in, sometimes it doesn’t. Today, 20 shots didn’t score, and other days, 15 shots produce several goals. This is the way forward, think about the next game because we have a very tough week ahead.”
Substitutions
“We wanted to see the position of a more offensive midfielder. If the game had gone differently, there were options with Darko and Juanpe. With Rafa tired, Larru played inside, and we became stronger in those moments. We put ‘Dorri’ on the left, ‘Larru’ on the right, and two forwards up front. We were looking for more finishing, our desire to win led us to adopt that approach in the final minutes, but we weren’t able to score.”
Rafa, the ‘37’ back in the starting-11
“I like that he can play in many positions. We’ve seen Rafa perform very well in that role this season, and he’s scored goals. He’s also played at number six at a high level. He’s won many duels and had numerous shots. In breaking situations, we’ve relied on him several times. We’ve gained advantages in the box because of that and took a lot of shots. The pity is that we weren’t able to score a goal.”
Boldness in pursuit of victory
“The fans enjoyed the team, we played a good game. You leave with a bittersweet feeling when you don’t win, but the team wanted to go for it. We played an attractive, lively match, showing what we are until the very end, and there’s very little we can reproach ourselves for.”
Maximum effort
“We couldn’t have done more. That phrase shouldn’t be felt with sadness, but with pride. We gave everything we had to win, and today it earned us a point. They need to embrace that phrase with pride and the satisfaction of giving their all, body and soul. We showed off-the-ball behaviour that reflects well on the team. It was enough to keep a clean sheet, but not to score. May we leave every match with the feeling that we gave everything we had.”
Recovery ahead of a two-match week
“The first thing I told them when they entered the dressing room was to eat and hydrate properly. The closeness of one match to the next makes you adjust things. Any knock or fatigue forces you to make changes for the following game. We can face them with confidence, always with the added difficulty of playing away, especially in the Andorra match.”
