Antonio López: 'We’ve picked ourselves back up many times and now we’ll do it again”
“Perhaps we should have killed off the match earlier”
Antonio López, captain of the ‘rojiblanco’ side, was the player in charge of appearing before the media and show face after the defeat to Racing. The left back analyzed the match against the Cantabrian squad and said that “we don’t depend on ourselves to directly qualify for the Europa League. Now we want to beat Hercules and Mallorca and wait. This isn’t over and we have to win these matches to finish as well as we can.”
In breaking down the loss to the team coached by Marcelino, Antonio asserted that “perhaps we should have killed off the match earlier. We had it under control and on an unlucky play they pulled level. That’s how they got into the game. From there, we had a tough time creating chances and then came their second goal.”
The Atlético de Madrid player couldn’t find an explanation for the team’s last two defeats. “Obviously we always want to win. When we win, we’re happy, and when we lose, we’re angry. The team is upset. We’ve picked ourselves back up many times. If there’s something that characterizes this group, it’s that we’ve always picked ourselves up, and this isn’t going to be any different. We have to turn the page,” he asserted.
Before the training started, the squad met in the dressing room and discussed the team’s situation. “What goes on in the dressing room stays there. Yesterday there was no need to single anybody out, as we’re all aware of the result and the way we wanted to play the match, and how the match ended. We started well, but Racing fought back and we lost a good chance to strengthen our hold on European spots. I’m not here to evaluate the manager’s statements. All of us, players and coaching staff, want the same thing for the team, Forlán the most. We’re all going to row in the same direction and we want to win the next two fixtures,” he stated.
'The coach is the one who decides on the line-up. Sometimes people will agree and others they won’t. Diego Forlán is an important player who has given us a lot, and we’re confident that he’s going to keep contributing. We’re teammates and we’re all going in the same direction. The group wants to win the next two matches,” he reflected.
The captain spoke about the meeting held by the squad in the clubhouse, highlighting that “you know the conclusion before the meeting starts: we have to win the last two games.”
Regarding the formation the team used in Santander, Antonio assured that “that’s the coach’s decision. I’m not going to get into it. Every player can play and we make ourselves available to him. We have to play as well as we can.”
With respect to his opinion about the state of Quique Sánchez Flores, Antonio stated that “he seems the same as always to me. After a loss you have to pick yourself back up and keep working so that you don’t make the same mistakes. A year ago we were the best, we won the Europa League, and now we’re being made out like we’re the worst.”
In breaking down the loss to the team coached by Marcelino, Antonio asserted that “perhaps we should have killed off the match earlier. We had it under control and on an unlucky play they pulled level. That’s how they got into the game. From there, we had a tough time creating chances and then came their second goal.”
The Atlético de Madrid player couldn’t find an explanation for the team’s last two defeats. “Obviously we always want to win. When we win, we’re happy, and when we lose, we’re angry. The team is upset. We’ve picked ourselves back up many times. If there’s something that characterizes this group, it’s that we’ve always picked ourselves up, and this isn’t going to be any different. We have to turn the page,” he asserted.
Before the training started, the squad met in the dressing room and discussed the team’s situation. “What goes on in the dressing room stays there. Yesterday there was no need to single anybody out, as we’re all aware of the result and the way we wanted to play the match, and how the match ended. We started well, but Racing fought back and we lost a good chance to strengthen our hold on European spots. I’m not here to evaluate the manager’s statements. All of us, players and coaching staff, want the same thing for the team, Forlán the most. We’re all going to row in the same direction and we want to win the next two fixtures,” he stated.
'The coach is the one who decides on the line-up. Sometimes people will agree and others they won’t. Diego Forlán is an important player who has given us a lot, and we’re confident that he’s going to keep contributing. We’re teammates and we’re all going in the same direction. The group wants to win the next two matches,” he reflected.
The captain spoke about the meeting held by the squad in the clubhouse, highlighting that “you know the conclusion before the meeting starts: we have to win the last two games.”
Regarding the formation the team used in Santander, Antonio assured that “that’s the coach’s decision. I’m not going to get into it. Every player can play and we make ourselves available to him. We have to play as well as we can.”
With respect to his opinion about the state of Quique Sánchez Flores, Antonio stated that “he seems the same as always to me. After a loss you have to pick yourself back up and keep working so that you don’t make the same mistakes. A year ago we were the best, we won the Europa League, and now we’re being made out like we’re the worst.”
