Regularity
“Every time we’re becoming increasingly consistent. We played a good match, which is nothing new. We’re right in the game, against rivals like Real Madrid, in stadiums like this. Coming here to play in the circumstances we’re in, isn’t at all straightforward. My team has courage, audacity and standing to play. Today we made things difficult”.
Damage
“Do I feel wronged. I don’t know. Being a referee is difficult. The clearest play I’ve seen took place at the end of the first half, and honestly, it seemed like a valid goal, but I don’t know if that would have changed the result. There were still 45 minutes remaining. We’ve seen these circumstances many times, but refereeing is very tough”.
Setbacks
“Many things are happening to us, almost all of which are negative. Today we lost our only left-winger we had left. It looks as though it could be a lengthy injury. However, the team has the faith and quality to play. We can’t say we’re unhappy, although of course the rankings are tortuous for us. We don’t want to say that the results mark the possibility of continuing to progress, as that’s what we’re doing. Since the match against Athletic, the team has been getting better. It’s true that we’ve had a difficult calendar of away games. The team, in nearly all matches, has had the possibility of doing something more away from home. At home we’re more stable”.
Refereeing decisions
“It would have been outlandish if he’d called time. He said he signalled a foul. If the referee sees it, who can doubt him? In Barcelona, looking at the images, the ball had gone out by a metre, but I don’t want to focus our situation on that. Indeed, amongst the negatives, things also happen like this, which cost us a great deal, but that would take away the merit of my players. They performed very well under very difficult circumstances. We only made a few mistakes, but against Madrid you pay the price. If the referee could have been wrong, I don’t know. What I do know is that we paid for it, error or not”.
Work
“What we had planned and prepared for this week worked out. We tightened the exit of the Madrid game well, tried to maintain good possessions, as we were aware we weren’t going to get a 30 or 35%, but there was more depth and approach. That said, you know that Madrid will generate opportunities. I think we played sufficiently well to give a good image. If we’d come back with a draw, nobody would have said we weren’t in the game. There are many circumstances that happen to us throughout the competition. We lose players, suffer injuries and encounter sports situations, but this never makes my players give up. They are hopeful for the future”.
