DIEGO ALONSO: "WE NEED TO KEEP MAKING CHANGES TO OUR GAME"

Diego Alonso is looking for his side to build on some aspects of recent performances ahead of Sunday's home match against Villarreal.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, the Uruguayan coach began by stating that "everyone is very angry with the result in the UCL, we had 60 fantastic minutes and let it slip. On Sunday we have to build on what we did against PSV and in the second half in San Sebastián. The small details have cost us lately, so we need to keep making changes to our game and be more effective to get the consistency we need."

As for our opponents, Villarreal, Alonso believes that "they're a good team who had a shaky start. They've had a change in manager and they're on a winning streak, even though yesterday was a close call. Marcelino tends to go with a 4-4-2 that's strong defensively and has options up front. Beyond respect for them, it's for us to show what we've been doing in previous games and demonstrate what we're capable of."

"The effort in midweek was huge and we'll see who can feature on Sunday"

Next up was injury news: "It will all depend on how the players recover, quite a few missed training but they could feature on Sunday. The effort in midweek was huge and we'll see who ends up recovering. We will see who's available after the last session tomorrow."

The coach continued by emphasising that "we need to do things well, we have been doing so but we need to be consistent. Them small details are important and we are lacking in them. We need a change in every aspect, concentration, helping teammates etc., it's very important and even more so in this situation. Now we need a bit more because every single thing can influence the game. Only that way we'll feel more confident in everything we do."

"To blame external things on the sporting situation is just looking for an excuse. We have to look at ourselves, work, work and work. I can't convey patience, only by working can we see things, but it's difficult to maintain this attitude without winning. You can see good things in the team and we have to keep working without excuses, that's the way forward", he concluded.