Pepe Mel, Málaga CF coach, held a press conference after his first time in the dugout during #MálagaVillarrealB.
“Feelings don't give you points. I don't like the result, I don't think it was fair,” he started out by saying. “We had many options to win the match, especially in the second half. We entered from the right, from the left, from the inside. We had clear opportunities generated by Gallar, Rubén, the Hervías cross... and I don't remember any by Villarreal. I’m happy as we piled the pressure on upfront, we stole many balls in the rival half, we maintained a high position and defended forward, and the forwards were close to the goal, which is what we wanted,” he said in his first review of the match.
He continued his analysis of #MálagaVillarrealB: “It was a struggle in the first half, but from minute 30 the team showed they can pressurise the rival upfront. We didn’t concede anything at the back. Escassi was fantastic, N’Diaye, Moussa, a young lad who didn’t make one mistake during his debut. We should be happy, but one point isn’t worth much, we have to take risks as we need to win the three points.”
Moussa played his first game with the first team in a league game, whilst Murillo made his debut in the Blue and White jersey. Pepe Mel described their performances: “Moussa was great, a phenomenon. He did well, he’s strong and fast. They blended very well, Alberto Escassi was 10 out of 10. Murillo also made his debut, because Juanfran had cramps and wasn’t able to continue.”
The Blue and White coach highlighted the impeccable conduct by the fans. “The public reacts to what they see. They applauded a team that went level, which when coming off a losing streak, means a great deal. The players are happy as they saw the fans applauding them despite not winning. In the position we’re in, we have to be brave,” he stressed.
“When the match was over, I took the players to the centre of the pitch, I wanted them to listen to the people, who reacted by applauding. If our fans are happy, we are on the right track. The lads are happier, they saw we’re on a good path. Our plan is to move forward and try to perform well,” he concluded.
