Lopetegui: “The team had an acceptable game”

Real Madrid played their pre-season debut against Manchester United and ended up losing 2-1 to Jose Mourinho’s side. However, new coach Julen Lopetegui was satisfied with what he saw during the game.

“The team had character and showed positives. There were no injuries and in general the team had an acceptable game. There were things that made us happy and we move on,” said the Spanish coach.

“We all want to win all the time, but the key thing was not the result. In this preparation phase, we want to consolidate concepts. For them it was their fifth game and for us just our first. We handled the game well, they had two good shots on goal,” added Lopetegui. What he says is extremely important, as Madrid showed an evident lack of fitness after just a few minutes.

Promising attacker Vinicius Jr. made his debut wearing the white shirt and showed his skills. While it’s clear that he still needs to develop as a player, it’s also certain that he has the talent to be a key player in Madrid’s future.

“He played a good game. He improved as the game went on, just like the rest of the team. He started a little shy, but then he came on in leaps and bounds. He is very young and has to adapt to this style of football and what we ask of players. I thought he played a good game,” concluded Lopetegui.