GARCÍA PIMIENTA: "IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO WIN, BUT I'M ALSO DELIGHTED WITH HOW WE MANAGED IT"

Xavi García Pimienta could not hide his joy in the interview area after the important victory in San Sebastián: "Coming here [Reale Arena] is very difficult. You have to accept that they [Real Sociedad] will put you under a lot of pressure and have a lot of the ball. The victory is very important because we really wanted it and fought for it, and the team was in good form, but I’m also happy with how we achieved it. In many phases of the game, we looked like the better side. If we play like this, we can compete against anyone and beat anyone."

"We knew that Real Sociedad would push forward in search of an equaliser. In the 55th minute, they made four changes at once to try and change the game. They have a fantastic squad, and we had to keep the ball, work under pressure, and rely on our experience. We couldn't afford them anything, because a team like this can take advantage of any mistake. I saw that experience on the field, we’ve worked on it a lot during the week, and we had to take that step to win. I’m happy we achieved that."

"We showed our experience on the field"

Naturally, the dressing room was in high spirits: "Winning in a stadium feels great. We have to celebrate because winning is hard. Tomorrow we’ll train here, Tuesday will be a rest day, and from there, we’ll start thinking about the next game against Athletic Club." He then praised the goalscorer: "When he got injured, he was in great form. He was out for almost three months, which makes it difficult to get back into shape. Also, Vargas is playing at a very high level, so he had to wait his turn. Today, Rubén’s hip issues prevented him from playing. He tried, but he was honest about it. The opportunity came for Ejuke, and he did really well. He also did very well defensively. I'm delighted for him."

Finally, our Head Coach spoke about the return of Sambi Lokonga: "We’re much stronger when we have everyone available. Let’s hope we can get Gudelj, Akor, and Vargas back as soon as possible. We’ll have more competition and variety for the bench. Sambi is a key player for us, he gives us so much, and it’s a shame that injuries have prevented him from having that continuity, but he’s a top-level player. We needed what he gives us, he’s helped us, and I hope that in these last eleven matches, he doesn’t have any more problems and can continue to help us."