Pellicer: “We leave with a bittersweet feeling; we must keep improving”

Match review

“The start was very good, especially after the first five minutes when we found Juanpe, who could think the game through. We scored two good collective goals. At the end of the first half, we became a bit unbalanced, this is the complexity of this competition. It’s very tough. They’re a solid opponent who, despite having zero points, have energy and will push forward. We relied too much on long passes, but then we adjusted by pressing with Izan, and the game levelled. The effort was tremendous, and we want to maintain the energy of the first 30 minutes. It’s a shame because the game had been set at 2-0 against a struggling opponent. The third goal was close, and I have to congratulate the boys. You leave with the feeling that we’re giving some continuity to what we want to achieve.”

Continuity

“Across from us is an opponent that prepares well during the week and is a strong team. You see all the results, and there’s a lot of parity. Playing at home is always tough, we need to maintain continuity and keep up that energy. You also have to understand that when you lack it and aren’t organised, you need to protect the spaces well. At the end of the first half and the start of the second, they created superiority on their right wing, which led to their danger. The positive is that we had 30 minutes of very high-level play, and the challenge is maintaining that, because the rival is strong.”

Substitutions

“David had already given every possible effort. I wish it could be maintained for 90 minutes, he was exhausted and had taken many hits. We need fresh energy. With Jokin and Dani, we wanted to stretch the team more, bringing it closer to Aaron with Chupe. Also, to give Eneko some minutes to get used to the game. Juanpe had expended a lot of energy, and Dotor came in well. You have to understand that the efforts are tremendous, and they need to be sustained.”

Hard-fought point

“The demands are high, but you have to understand that it’s very tough. You need to value every point and every victory. We had the chance to get a third consecutive win, which we didn’t achieve last season. You leave your stadium with that bittersweet feeling. This should show us that we must keep improving. The boys are doing very well and competing from the start against these rivals. If we had won, you’d leave with a top mark, but we also had chances to turn the game around. There were moments when Granada could have won, but we managed to adjust.”

Very different second half

“We had worked on different structures during the week because we expected they might play with three at the back. That speaks well of their coach and of us, for being able to play with different setups. In the second half, we overused long passes and rushed when attacking spaces and trying to draw them out. With turnovers, the balance shifted, but then we adjusted. We went from having a chance to score to facing a transition with very dynamic players. Thanks to the effort, you could see two very good teams on the pitch.”

Continuing with the adjustments

“We are competing in every match, and that comes from the feeling of being ahead. This is like a boxing match, if we had played those first 30 minutes in reverse, the situation would be different. Football is about continuity, and you have to manage different game contexts. We need to keep adjusting and improving. There are very strong rivals. Sometimes we’re superior, and other times they outperform us. You have to understand that and continue improving. I’m really happy with how the team is progressing, though there are still many things to work on. Everyone speaks very highly of us. We have to go to Huesca, and we know how tough it is and what we face there. This has just started, and we need to maintain this consistency.”