The coach of C.D. Leganés, Paco López, spoke at a press conference after the match that the pepinero team played this Monday against R.C. Deportivo at the Ontime Butarque Stadium (2-2).
Match evaluation: "A very good first half again. We went up 2-0 deservedly. In the second half, practically nothing was happening, but they have talented players and pushed harder. The 2-1 hurt us a lot, and then everyone saw what happened. I don't need to explain it. We leave with the feeling of having lost two more points; both this week and last week, we were better than our opponents, and the feelings are getting better and better. We had the victory in our hands again, and it slipped away due to a detail, which is a shame. The people who came today, who filled the stadium, didn't deserve this. They feel identified with how we are doing things, and it's a pity."
Penalty for the 2-2: "It's very clear. Referees have a very difficult task, a very complicated job, but there are situations I don't understand. We have the VAR tool and messages sent out that penalties have to be very clear. It's outrageous. Acknowledging the difficulty, there are situations where they are influenced and affected because they believe they have given us something. It's a shame; in such an evenly matched football, these things shouldn't happen. We are left with two fewer points, but we have to keep working. It's another factor that influences results, successes, mistakes, and these kinds of details. We have to be optimistic, and other times it will go our way."
Juan Cruz: "He had been training well in recent weeks, but there was uncertainty about what was going to happen with him. This week his future was resolved, and we decided to give him those minutes. He is going to be a very important player for us, and we understood that we had to start giving him minutes. He has personality, and that's why we chose to bring him on."
Closing out matches: "There is a common denominator in the three matches; in all of them, we went ahead, which is very difficult in this category, and we ended up drawing all three. It's a matter of analysis because each match is a different story. Today is less our fault than in Huesca. We weren't under pressure, knowing that we had a very good opponent in front of us who will definitely be at the top. The best thing is that our team hasn't given up on attacking the opponent's goal, but the ambition is always to win matches. We will take note, but it shouldn't weigh on us, and we should keep moving forward as we did again today."
Possible anxiety: "We have a very mature locker room. The messages have always been focused in the same direction: work, improve, be better every day, and surpass ourselves in every match. Regardless of the final result, the message would remain the same. On a mental level, I don't think it affects us; the most important thing is the team's feeling, which is improving, and we have to keep getting better. We are calm."
Play for the 1-0: "We have set-piece actions worked out, and the kickoff is one of them. The first pass wasn't good, but then it went as planned, and that's satisfying."
Miguel and Duk: "It's hard for me to single out individuals because this is a collective effort. The commitment and involvement in the work are outstanding. We want to be a very pressing team, and that means doing things very well, being committed, and being supportive, and the team is showing that."
Room for improvement: "I see them train every day, I see how the locker room is, the messages that come out, and we have a lot of faith, and I believe a lot in them and the work we are doing. We are calm, although we all want to win. But this is the way."