NEWS | 28/09/2021 | Bárbara Jiménez
“We produced some great play, but sometimes the ball just doesn't want to go in", declared Valverde.“This club always demands that you win. We know that we’re on the right track and are doing a good job. The coach trusts in us and we’re top of LaLiga and are in with a chance in the Champions League. The crest demands that you always win, but it’s a very long season and it’s not about how you start, but how you finish”.
Ruthlessness
“We fully dominated the game and had the chances to have made it 1-0, then 1-1 and they’ve ended up scoring a screamer. You’ve got to win in football, but this year we’ve already produced some poor performances and won, but that wasn’t the case tonight. If you’re not clinical, you ended up paying the price at the back”.
Valverde: “We haven’t got what we wanted out of it”
“Unfortunately we haven’t got what we wanted out of it. We were confident heading into the final minutes. It was a move where we didn’t do things properly. We just can’t have a player picking the ball up unmarked on the edge of the area. It’s everyone’s fault and had they not scored a second, we’d have been in with a very good chance of winning it. The opposition also have their strengths and qualities. The move on the opening goal is down to good work from them, whilst the second goal is more an error from us. We have to change that, we can’t all push forward and have to be focused when marking players”.
COURTOIS: "THEIR GOALKEEPER HAD A GREAT GAME AND THE BALL JUST DIDN'T WANT TO GO IN".
"It often happens to us. We wait for them to score before we react. We have to work on that. We produced some good moves, but sometimes the goal just won’t come. We’re disappointed and angry. We could’ve scored to win the game but that’s football. When one team scores the other can’t and everything goes against you”.
Courtois: “Their keeper had a great game”
“It comes down to fine lines. I think the two goals we conceded were very well taken goals, but it’s about the small details for us. One of their players was unmarked from a throw-in and that shouldn’t happen. We were searching for the winning goal and we gave it everything, but we still have to defend. Their keeper had a great game and the ball just wouldn’t go in. They defended deep and defended well and then counter-attacked with three or four players. They’ve got some fast players and that made things difficult for us at times. We didn’t press them well enough and they scored when they had four men in the box. These are the small details”.
Second goal
“Sometimes there are days like this. The other days against Celta or Mallorca the goals went in easily and today it was the opposite. We missed chances, we scored a penalty and we hoped to defeat them but they were dangerous on the counter-attack. It was a great goal and that’s what happens sometimes. He hit it really well. The ball was moving away from me and went in the top corner. If you can’t win them you have to draw”.
On the right path
“These are games when the opposition sit back, you can’t find the gaps and these things can happen. But we’re on the right path. We didn’t want to lose this game. The other two teams have drawn and it was a chance to open up a lead, but that’s the way it is. Now we have to try to win on Sunday, then it’s the international break and we have to try to move top in the next round of games”.