Quique Sánchez Flores took a positive reading out of the draw against Universidad de Las Palmas as it was the match in which the reserve squad players got a chance. “The best thing was passing to the next round and the match played by the young lads. I wanted to see them in official competition. They got stuck into a tough match, as it’s hard to play a man down. The worst thing was the sending off. Beyond what the referee saw, I don’t share in the way that Diego Costa left the pitch,” stated the manager.

The head coach continued to speak about the lads from the reserve squad and said that “they’re good footballers. Alberto Perea and Koke are very good with the ball. Pulido was very focused, paying close attention to all of the actions. His reference point was an uncomfortable opponent. We played a tight second half, with scoring chances. We could have won the game. His contribution was positive.”

The ‘rojiblanco’ manager also spoke about Diego Forlán and explained that “there’s an interest for something to happen, but there’s no breeding ground for that to occur. I’m not concerned. My relationship with Diego Forlán is completely normal. The only fact is that when Diego is completely recovered, we’ll all be happy, and people will stop talking about something that doesn’t exist.”