The Malaguista coach analysed the duel by responding to the questions posed by the assembled media. Firstly, he referred to the play that defined the match almost from the outset: “The team that scores more goals wins. The match was conditioned by the expulsion in minute 7. I haven’t had the opportunity to watch it back, but it seems harsh to me. It was a side tackle, my player touched the ball, no assistance was needed for the rival player…I think a sending off should warrant more,” he said.
“Sporting are the paciest team in LaLiga SmartBank. If you add to that having one less player, it makes it very tough to create chances to take the lead. I think we controlled the situation, the team interpreted it well, what we were lacking was more possession. It’s not easy when you take fatigue into account. Including stoppage time, we played for 90 minutes with 10 men, at a stadium like El Molinón and against a team that is the one with the highest movement rate in the division,” he added.
“What changed the second half was Sporting’s first goal. It gave them peace of mind in the knowledge they’d come back from a goal down with a long way to go. The team played an extraordinary match with 10 men for so long. We lacked more attack and possession, that’s evident, but they demanded a great deal from us in defence. Although it’s another defeat like last week, it’s completely different. The team gave their all, but accuracy is what counts, strength in the areas and that’s where Sporting dominates,” he said in answer to the third question.
Up until Real Sporting’s goal, MCF were dominating play. The Blue and White coach added: “Looking at the result, the more accurate team wins, but the reality we had from the dugout was to have the match under control. We had the match where we wanted it, but that goal arrived and everything changed. Sporting then warmed up and began to move more, spaces appeared due to fatigue and they took the lead,” he explained.
The positive news of the day, without doubt, was the debut of Sekou Gassama as a Malaguista player: “Sekou generated a play to make it 2-2. He’s a player who has come here to be an important part of the team, to boost competition and to give us centre-forward characteristics that we didn’t have. It’s good news he was able to play. Let's see if he keeps up with the others and can help us with goals,” he commented.
Finally, the coach again stressed his satisfaction with his players’ hard work: “We’re angry about the defeat, nobody likes to lose. However, I’m happy with the lads’ work. They interpreted the game they had to play well, which I’m pleased about,” he concluded.
