Pepe Mel stated in Anoeta’s press room, “We had a lot of trouble keeping the ball. We have to work on connecting with each other, because if you intercept the ball, and then pass it to an opponent, that punishes and kills us”.

The Deportivista coach said, “I am to blame. We have to look for ideas to give the players on the pitch a solution, so that when we have the ball, there are always two or three passing options”.

He gave an example: “Footballers like Kakuta or like Emre always received the ball with their backs to goal, badly positioned. It’s something we have to work on”.

Pepe Mel does not think it is an attitude problem: “It’s a concept problem. You’re playing against a great rival, doesn’t matter who in this division. If you don’t combine well enough to keep the ball, and you put your best players to skip lines, to reach the rival’s box, you’ll end up only playing in defence, on the edge of your area”.