Copa and LaLiga SmartBank
“Tuesday’s match is over now. We are eliminated from the Cup. We can’t get anything out of it. The lessons learned from that bad day are there. The players’ anger corresponds to the anger and disappointment of our fans, we understand it and share it. The best way to overcome the Cup defeat is to face tomorrow’s game with enthusiasm and determination to win, to end the year on a good footing and face the new year with a far more positive perspective on the league. The only thing we’re focusing on is the match against Lugo. It’s very important to end the year with a win at home to continue the good run we’ve had in the league. Above all, we need to forget all the anger and upset surrounding the Cup”.
Self-critical and priorities
“The first thing is to stay calm in these situations. We’re all angry and upset, professionals alike. It also hurts us, in the same way as our fans, but we need to be realistic. The decisions we made were aimed at getting the best out of the team. We weren’t accurate and things didn’t go our way. We are the first ones to say we were wrong, without doubt, but we understand that, if our circumstances are difficult to compete in one competition, then competing in two would have been a dream to think we could go far in the Cup. We need to give priority to the most important competition for us, where we’re playing for our life and the continuity of the team, which is the league. It’s ok to recognise that we’re angry we lost to a lower division side, but this will lead us to the same mood that our fans have. The way to fix the Cup is with a win tomorrow.”
Málaga CF – CD Lugo
“Lugo are a team that have also been knocked out of the Cup, with an inconsistent run, in the lower end of the standings. They have been playing with two systems lately. Regardless of the system, we’ve prepared for both situations, looking for the rival’s weak points, together with our strengths to minimise their attacking ability”.
