Joseba Exteberría made his debut as coach of Mirandés at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos. After falling 2-1, he attended the media in the improvised press room of the Vega de Acá venue, highlighting the defensive work of his team and missing more spark in the final meters.
Sadiq: “He is a striker who makes a difference. We have tried to hold him down. He has scored a great goal, in that 1-0. The pity is that he has often made it 2-0. In general, we have defended quite well against a team with many offensive arguments and that at home generates a lot”.
Assessment: “We knew what we could find: Almería is a team that starts very strong, with a lot of potential that forces you to withdraw. After those initial minutes, we have competed very well, generating favorable situations and having the necessary patience to circulate the ball in the offensive phase and generate chances. We lacked the last pass to finish in those transitions in attack. We are left with the positive: until the first goal, Almería was not comfortable in a very difficult field. But it is a shame because in the end and After all, it’s a defeat. We fought until the end, trying to get into the game. Our goal was very close to the end…”.
Inigo Vicente: “He is a very talented player. We wanted to put him inside to filter passes and take the last pass in the three-quarter zone. I prefer his defensive commitment. We were looking for a balanced team in midfield. When a team like Almería demands so much from you on a defensive level, you have to work a lot on defense and our midfielders have done great, although freshness is lost to make the last pass in attack. We have to keep the competitive mentality, but adjusting things to improve” .
Improvement: “We wanted to work a lot on defensive mechanisms, such as pressure after loss. We were good there, but we lacked clarity in recent actions, such as lateral crosses, last passes and finishing. The team has that desire to compete. We stayed with that, but adjusting things.”
Ascent: “Who will go up? You’re asking me… I have enough to analyze mine. Those four teams have quite good squads, but there are many ups and downs in the season. From a distance, I can tell you little else. We have to reinforce what we have done well and adjust the other to improve it”.
Three games in a row losing: “We have to analyze this game well to improve. We’re happy with the work we’ve done during the week. When there’s a change it’s complicated and the dressing room has been very receptive to these messages. We’ve competed well, even without giving up at 2-0” .