Javi Calleja: “We were at times superior to Real Madrid”

Deportivo Alaves had coach Javi Calleja spoke to the press after his team’s 1 - 4 defeat at home to Real Madrid on Saturday night.

Calleja spoke positively about his team’s performance, but mostly only of the first half, where he felt Alaves need to replicate more of this season.

“The conclusion is to follow the example of the first half and learn from the second,” Calleja said. “I think the game was serious, and at times we were superior to Real Madrid, both defensively when we were under pressure, and with the ball. We were also very confident. We were having a great match and in the second half you go out and, with a mistake, you leave a ball to Bale, they take a cross and go ahead. When a rival like Madrid gets ahead it is very difficult, but what we cannot do is disorganize ourselves.“

Calleja also spoke about how impressed he was with Karim Benzema, but felt that his team gifted him his goal:

“The better the players, the more they disorganize you. Benzema not only has a goal. He is a top player and he is very intelligent. It is normal that Real Madrid have their options, but for me they have been goals for our mistakes “.