Andoni Iraola, Rayo Vallecano coach, who valued the partnership achieved in Vallecas against Athletic Club, assured that they must “maintain humility without losing ambition” and look first to a safety where, he warned, 40 points will not serve.
“We want to win but the consecutive losses we have lost one and now we have three. Although I want to add three, we have to give courage to add one because the classification is expensive. We must remain humble without losing the ambition. and see that defeat is not the same as drawing,” he said in a press conference.
“Our message is that 40 points may not reach safety. It will be very expensive. The classification is squeezed. The goal is to continue in the First Division and if it is achieved, we will go to the death for more. , but still a lot needs to be achieved to reach the goal. There is no classification in the drop in many points to think about something else and less in the teams below the level, “he added.
Reviewing the match, Iraola highlighted the good image of his team in the second half as they came closer to the goal that would give victory.
“In a game where there were clear chances for each team, it ended 0-0. Athletic was more comfortable in the first half and we did a better second. In parts of the game it was it seems we will win. but we also every defeat, with their very fast players can be costly.
The Rayista coach did not show concern about the lack of punch in his team’s last games: “In terms of numbers, we have gone two games without a goal. We are a team that so far scored goals, arrived and I’m not worried because we still have them. Against an Athletic team that conceded very little, we had clear chances and we had to insist”.
The latter was handled by Raúl de Tomás, a starting substitute but contributed with his ticket to the game. “I say to the forwards that I don’t look at the goals they have scored but the chances they have are big. Having them, it is a matter of time before the goals come. Camello has struggled to win one- one-on-one duels against very good central defenders and we finished the game with Raúl having his chances. The goal didn’t come yet but we have to keep pressing,” he said.
He also appreciates the debut of Abdul Mumin as a starter in Vallecas: “In the end he gives us something different from Catena or Florian. As the minutes pass, he gains confidence on the ball. He has to measure the risk and perform because he had a loss that almost cost us a goal. He is very winning in duels, he has to grow, adapting to LaLiga. The times we have pulled from him he responds to us”.
Finally, he appreciated the presence of Fran García and Isi in the previous list of the new Spanish coach, Luis de la Fuente, who was present in the match in the box at the Vallecas stadium.
“I don’t know how many players are shortlisted, the fewer there are, the more valuable someone is from our team. There are players with very good individual performances but there is high competition to be in a team like Espanyol. I am glad that they are there and that they performed with us for a common goal,” he said.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
