MADRID, 11 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The RCD Espanyol coach, Diego Martínez, was satisfied with his team’s performance, despite his team’s defeat (3-1) this Saturday against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, while acknowledging that he was ” frustrated”, although not “angry”, by the good version that the parakeet group showed in the Madrid fiefdom.
“We are frustrated in that sense. In these games, any mistake is penalized a lot. The team has gone for the game and has believed. It always hurts to lose, but when you give a good version you leave frustrated, but not so angry. The pain is different from other defeats”, said the coach at a press conference after the game.
The coach analyzed the match, also highlighting the “effort” of his players. “The game was open. We have reached 90 ‘with options. The players have made a fairly high effort,” he said.
“The beginning has been very good for our part, with the goal and two clear chances. Then it’s a shame what happened because there is a mismatch in the goals. The team has competed really well, focused. Either you have a perfect match or you don’t they make pay. The third goal is a little tarnished. Mistakes are penalized a lot and we have made some avoidable ones although the team has had a very broad level of concentration”, he pointed out.
Martínez also highlighted the defensive solidity of his team, although he criticized the little success in attack. “For pleasure we don’t do it, but we have defended very well. Honestly, I think the team has been competitive, they have had Real Madrid until the end. It’s a pity that with the 2-1 we haven’t had any more”, he asserted.
“At a defensive level we want to continue growing and improving. What interests me the most is winning and scoring points. To the extent that we are able to keep a clean sheet, we will be closer to winning”, he highlighted.
Asked about his position in the table, the parakeet coach preferred not to make assessments ahead of time. “We didn’t look at the classification. Not even when we won two games in a row did we have to be euphoric or now depressed. There are eight teams in a very small margin of points. When matchday 38 arrives we will see what we have deserved,” he said.
“At the beginning of the season we had better moments than points reflected in the classification. Thinking now about what you don’t have and could have had is useless,” he added.
Lastly, the coach wanted to highlight Joselu’s role in the team, confessing that he would like to see him in the national team. “He is a benchmark, he brings us a lot on and off the field even when he hasn’t scored. Hopefully ours can have an experience like this in the national team, but I don’t like playing something I’m not,” he concluded.