‘We must be more demanding’ | Relief
Atletico Madrid lost to Barcelona. After the previous match, which seemed equal, the culé team imposed its game and its style at the moment of truth to leave us without ideas and block the plan of Victor Martin and the colchonero team on the field. It was not an easy evening for the locals, with Aitana Bonmati scoring the first goal in the eighth minute and minutes later Alexia was on the verge of scoring a second after a release error resulted from Pere Romeu’s suffocating pressure. The match ended 0:3 in favor of Barça, who were again much better. and gained an advantage over the Colchonero team in the classification with seven points.
Atlético surprised from the start with a different approach, where they had five players in the back line. with Ainoa Moraza and Andrea Medina on the flanks acting as strikers and strengthening the interior, with Xenia Perez, Lauren Real and Silvia Lloris. Victor Martin decided to strengthen the defense, despite being the team with the fewest goals in the tournament at the moment, thanks also to the quality of Lola Gallardo between the sticks. Barcelona can give you a lot of very clear chances throughout the game, but I think that’s not the case because the clear chances weren’t the way they usually create them. Today we missed three and that bothered us even more. Overall, minimizing those chances and keeping them down, I think speaks well for the team’s defensive performance.” – said the red-white coach after losing 0:3.
The first came from Graham Hansen’s drive down the right, which resulted in an assist from Aitane Bonmati’s low cross, who “only” needed to push the ball. The Barca midfielder lifted the ball high, preventing Lola from clearing the ball and thus foiling Atlético Madrid’s plan after eight minutes of play. “Goals, it’s true that one of them comes after a rebound, then a little mismatch, maybe in the first goal and in the set-piece.” analyzed Victor Martin.
The intense pressure left Atlético Madrid with no ideas and no time to react. Alexia was about to score the second goal after a mistake from Lola Gallardo when she deflected a pass from her area that hit the Barca captain’s boots. The Atlético goalkeeper got big and eventually stopped the one-on-one situation. “There were more serious mistakes, there were situations in which we managed to complete more passes at such a height. It was because of their calmness and individuality in the face of high pressure from the best team in the world that I think the team took a step forward. There were a lot of good situations.” The red and white coach continued to stand out.
Xenia Perez appeared in the press room with a serious face and made a self-criticism, still hot after the defeat: “Obviously, everything did not go the way we wanted, we wanted to win the game. The team took a step when it was already clear that the match was more in favor of Barça. I think we have a lot to improve. “We have to be more demanding and pay more attention to the small details because these are the games that matter.”
It wasn’t just a win: “You want to play the way you want to play.”
Pere Romeu conveyed his idea to the team. “Today it wasn’t just about three points, it’s about how you want to play and the mark you want to leave in every game.” He admitted that he told his players about this. And they responded on the pitch, playing one of their most complete games this season. A campaign in which Barça began to leave doubts about their performance after changes in the squad with new players including Pere Romeu.
“Today, I think it wasn’t just three points, but almost the whole game there was very clear possession, football with very good pressure, football with chances. So I’m very happy.”added the technician. The culé team began an important week in domestic competition with a victory over Atlético Madrid, who were still undefeated and one of their pursuers at the top of the standings. Barça has left its mark on the Colchonero team and Real Madrid is starting to appear on the horizon, who will be Barça’s next rival in League F and the one who is still closely pursuing the culé team.