LOPETEGUI: "THE TEAM HAD THE CHARACTER AND CONVICTION TO GO FOR A RESULT"

07/03/2020

"The second half was more about control, both teams were very good defensively and had few chances"

Julen Lopetegui analysed the 1-1 draw away at Atlético de Madrid: "It was a great first half from our perspective. It was very good for the neutral too, there were lots of chances and the match was high tempo. Although VAR broke up that rhythm, we were good. We knew that it there was ever a team that punishes you for losing the ball, it's Atlético. We were doing well until then, and they punished us. The team had the character and conviction to go for a result. We had ten very interesting minutes, with a clear-cut chance and then the penalty. So, a very good first half for the neutrals. The second half was more about control, both teams were very good defensively and had few chances".

The manager spoke about the VAR interventions in the match: "I'm very respectful with the referees, it's a very complex job. As I've said, and I'll reiterate my opinion, it's that VAR has to intervene when it's black or white. Three minutes to say whether I'll go to VAR or not, it isn't so clear. I can't share the opinion in that way, as it breaks the play up. It has to be very clear, or you kill off the essence of many parts of the match".

Julen was happy with the side's performance: "The team competed well, they showed character and mentality. They will play better or worse, sometimes more accurate than others, but I think they played well in every sense. At times we played very well, but we were lacked the calmness in the second half that we needed to have more control. All in all, a good match".

He also spoke about the booking for Gudelj, which rules him out of the derby: "We had four yellow cards in the first half whereas they had none. We'll find solutions". To finish, he highlighted the importance of the next two matches at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán: "We're very happy to play in front of our fans, that doesn't change. We have to prepare and rest well. Now we'll get ready for a great and hugely demanding match against Roma, we'll go for it".