The coach of Real Oviedo, Luis Carrión, analyzed the draw against Girona FC in Montilivi during a press conference, a match full of alternatives in which the blues rescued a point in extremis. The coach highlighted the team's ability to react but lamented the moments when his team stopped having the ball and seeking the opponent's area.
Carrión acknowledged that, despite the final effort, the period after the 0-2 did not leave him with good feelings. "The end, if we count from the 0-2, is bad. We did things we haven't worked on, like playing long balls, defending too far back... The penalty came very early, but we should have defended with the ball. There were spaces, and we didn't dare to use them. We were afraid to lose, and that makes you lose. We had soul, but that shows we could have done it earlier: protecting is not the solution."
The Oviedo coach wanted to focus on the positives and emphasized that the team continues to grow. "I see more and more positive things, in training sessions and in matches. We played a good 60 minutes, reaching more and with more people, but then we thought about protecting. At least we had soul and gave it our all."
Regarding the game plan, Carrión explained that the team sought to be brave and take advantage of the spaces against a high-level opponent. "We knew that Girona connects well inside, and we wanted to take advantage of the risk to gain an advantage, as in the penalty action. The first half was good, we worked well on set pieces, but after the penalty, I didn't like anything."
Finally, when asked about the substitutions, the blue coach explained that "I prefer Hassan to play wide on the right because he is not a great finisher nor does he move much into space, but he is very good in one-on-one situations. I understood that Álex would end up pinning him back in his own half, as Carlos Romero did the other day, and that's why he didn't play. Hassan is available and maybe could have had minutes, yes. Bringing him on instead of Brekalo was an option. The rest of the changes? Rondón was doing a good job, and that's why Forés didn't come on. When a match ends, I analyze the changes I made, and most of the time, I think I was wrong, but I don't think they influenced the result. We have to improve and balance the team; I don't want there to be 11 starters and 14 substitutes."
