Sergi Darder, Manu Morlanes, Leo Roman and Jagoba Arrasate reflected on our 1-1 draw with Levante UD. Find out what the players and the boss had to say below.
Sergi Darder:
On the feelings from the game: A bad feeling. Surely when you're losing 0-1 and you draw, you should be feeling positive, but I don't think that's the case. I think we did enough to win, created enough chances—myself first—but we weren't accurate in front of goal. They created a lot with little, I think we also knew they were a team that played like that, but, well, Leo saved us from 0-2 with practically their second chance, and after that, we struggled to score. It was the least clear play of the entire match. But anyway, I think we have to focus on the positives the team did: we tried hard, we had chances, we created much more than in other matches, and surely if we continue like this, we'll win in other matches.
On the secon dhalf: It's clear that the second half is difficult to play, even in the final minutes of the first and second half, you want to go for the goal, you do very hasty things, things you shouldn't do. The inertia of wanting to score, even the second before the first, and that often leads to errors, to losses that practically leave you one-on-one with their forwards, who were difficult to defend. But I think in other games we haven't created as much and we've won; if we played ten times more, we'd win many more than we'd lose.
On the goal: It's clear that the goal, just as we've said we'll surely win many more matches, but Pablo probably won't do it again if he scores it once. It was a great goal. He was a good general, although it's difficult to play against a newly promoted team that will fight and is fighting. But we had to win; we can never be satisfied with this point. But we also have to value many of the good things we've done. Now it's time for the Cup; we're still on the up in this regard. Despite the draw, I think the team was correcting many things it wasn't doing well before, and now we just have to correct some more things, as is normal. But the team isn't bad; they're confident, and I'm sure we'll pull through.
Manu Morlanes:
On his feelings about the game: We came in with a lot of desire, I think we were on a positive note because we were coming off two wins in three games, and it seems like it's been a setback, a setback. It shows the importance of every game, of every opponent. Football is fickle, and even in games where you don't deserve that much, you can still win, and today I think the team, the first half, their chances were due to our inaccuracy. Then we had two or three actions we could have taken, but it wasn't to be, and we have to look forward.
On first half: It's what I'm saying: sometimes football is hard to understand, and on days when you deserve much more than what you get, you end up losing, and on other days with a positive note, with a first half like today, it would have been different. But it's what we have, what we have. We're in a difficult situation, and I think we're doing well, because it's still seven out of twelve in the last four games, and we need to strengthen those statistics and move forward.
On looking ahead to the other matches: It's complicated. Qualifying, even though there's still a long way to go, feels like we're down, and both we and the fans feel that pressure, which is normal and natural in football. But I think the team isn't losing face in the matches. You can see there's desire, there's attitude, and sometimes it's the little details that make the difference. Today, the goal came in a way it doesn't usually happen, with a spectacular strike from Pablo on the left. In the end, we'll all try, in whatever capacity we have, to add points, because it's going to be a long season, and we'll be aware of the responsibility we have and the situation we're in.
Jagoba Arrasate:
On the result: On the one hand, it's a bit of a setback because you were hoping to win at home. On the other hand, I think a lot happened in the game, and especially when you're losing with ten minutes left and you tie, at least you value the point.
On the first half: I liked the first half in terms of maintaining the pace of the game, attacking well, and creating chances, but we weren't accurate. It's true that in one play, first poorly defended and then with several rebounds, we went into the break losing. The second half was different. Little by little, we began to rush, made mistakes, and then Levante had time to come out, and thank goodness Pablo saved us.
On substitutions: I was looking to open up the flanks a bit with Virgili on the right and Javi on the left, who are two players who can play one-on-one, but also cross, and to populate the box a bit more with two forwards. We were losing, so we had to take risks, and in that regard, I think we had opportunities, but we didn't hold Levante back well in those second positioning plays.
On Pablo Maffeo: If they tell you you have to draw like that, you don't believe it, but it's a reward for Pablo's perseverance and work, who's getting better and better all the time. He played a good game the other day, and today he was bold and scored a good goal. He's already done it in training and it's gone very well, and I'm very happy.
On the cup: We wanted to win, but in the end, continuing to score is important. It's seven out of twelve in the last four games after Anoeta. Just as it's not easy to beat Levante, we'll have another chance in Seville. We have to do better; we have the cup on Wednesday, we're thinking about last year's disappointment, we hope to beat Barcelona on Wednesday, and that's what we're going for.
Leo Román:
On the game: We knew how to be there, we took advantage of the moments when we were good, and we knew how to be compact. I think that's the way forward, and with this approach, we'll be closer to winning than losing.
On the save: That's what we're here for, it's my job. I have to try to help the team as much as I can. Today, thank God, I was able to do that, but I have to keep working. Now we're going to Seville to try to take the three points.
On the cup: The cup match is important; it's going to be very difficult. We have to go to the next round, enjoy the cup, and give a good performance. Also, let the players who aren't getting enough playing time get their chance, and I think that will help us continue to grow.