Mendilibar: “You leave with a toothache, but it could be predictable”

Alaves manager Jose Luis Mendilibar spoke about the disappointment of dropping three points to Real Madrid in a post-match interview via MARCA.

“We had a couple of clear chances at 0-0. One from Jason in the first half from the penalty spot and another with Pere Pons, who has been ready to steal but has lacked the calmness to score. Then, if you don’t get the chances you have, they’re going to score a goal against you. It is very difficult to go from a draw to zero. The first two are two good goals, and the third is a penalty that they whistle in favor of the bigger team. You leave with a toothache, but it could be predictable.”

Mendilibar was asked if he believes this was the best match Alaves have played since he has taken over for former manager Javier Calleja. Despite the 3-0 score, Mendilibar says this was the most competitive the club has been especially given the tough opponent.

“I think so. Because of the opponent we had, it was the match that we competed the most. In the first [half] we had many mistakes, and in the second [half] we fell asleep in both times, and they took advantage. Today we competed until we were given the strength. The pity has been not taking advantage of the opportunities. In a place like this, if you don’t take advantage of the chances, you usually go with a lost game. You have to score to get something out of here.”

Mendilibar was also asked about if he believes Alaves are stronger after taking the loss on the chin against a top club like Real Madrid. He seemed uncertain given the score on the board and the quality of the goals scored against.

“I don’t know, because it’s a 3-0. You look at the scoreboard and you say, have we deserved the 3-0? The penalty against is one more goal. I don’t know if we came out stronger because the three goals hurt. The first goal hurts because you want to go up and give spaces. The second goal is a great move by them that we have not been able to defend. You take a step forward and that is taken advantage of by the rival with its quality. Maybe we had to have a cooler head, because there was time left and maybe we could draw in a different way.”