He justified this in several ways. “We were the more offensively effective team of the two, with more shots, a faster passing tempo and more possession…,” he explained about Real Zaragoza’s match in Tarragona. That said, he acknowledged that the latter aspect must be accompanied by attacking play.
“Obviously, there are things to improve. We were right in 80% of our actions, and there was 20% where we weren’t,” he analyzed. Among the issues to work on is “occupying the penalty area,” something they have not had time to address so far. “We can improve there, as well as in setting the pace of the match. There are things we have analyzed, but I think the match we saw was encouraging,” he reiterated about the game in Tarragona.
NO CHANGE IN PLANS
“After analyzing the match, I wouldn’t have changed the plan. The team was dominating the game, and it would have been a mistake. I think the club’s stature and the obligation to win made us rush. There will definitely be a Plan B, and we have worked on it, but the other day did not call for a change,” he added about Real Zaragoza’s defeat.
There is now a new opportunity. The Real Zaragoza coach is approaching it with “a great deal of enthusiasm.” “It sounds like a cliché, but we need the people. We’re really looking forward to playing here and inspiring the people, the people. I’m excited to produce the same performance with certain improvements and win. If you win while creating positive feelings, people become excited,” he explained.
THE CRITICISM
After a “bad experience,” he has learned how to manage criticism. “It has been the biggest learning experience. I care very little, if at all, about non-constructive criticism; I have to take the positive from it. It can help you. Based on my experience, I try to ensure it does not affect them. We have to take in the positive so it can help us and set aside the negative,” he stated.
That said, the coach understands the frustration. “We have to understand everyone. People are coming off last year’s disaster, and you ask them to trust a new coach who talks a good game but doesn’t win… I can’t guarantee victory, but I can guarantee that Real Zaragoza will convey something. That will help us win and achieve our objective,” the coach concluded.
