Pablo Machín assumes the superiority of the rival

Asked if this had been the game in which his Alavés had been overcome with greater clarity, Pablo Machín was clear. “Probably yes, but this was also the adversary with the greatest aspirations,” he assumed. “It is true that Villarreal was superior, but if we managed to score the two clear ones against one that we had, now we would talk about the fact that Alavés had scored three goals away from home,” he said.

Aware that “we have to improve a lot and correct many things”, the coach stressed that although there were moments “in which the quality of the adversary was seen, in other phases his team” proved to be able to catch up with them, at least in terms of pressure and attitude ”.

He complained about the VAR¸ penalty that was decisive yesterday. “He hurt us and the play surprised me, because when he went to the monitor I thought he was going to whistle a hand. The VAR is for what it has to be and when the referee does not see enough intensity on the field in an action, that the VAR re-arbitrates it always generates doubts ”, he lamented.