Elche coach: Higher possession rate than Barcelona? I m proud of the players courage

Hupu November 03 News Although Elche lost 1-3 to Barcelona, ​​coach Ed Sarabia was still proud of the team's performance and pointed out that this defeat had a sweet taste.

"This defeat will not hit us. We stuck to our own style and showed courage. I am not worried. On the contrary, it gave me more motivation to continue to improve," Sarabia affirmed in an interview after the game.

He downplayed the fact that he surpassed Barcelona in possession rate (51% vs. 49%). "This data itself doesn't actually mean much, but it does reflect that we were proactive, defended well, and attacked in the opponent's half for a long time. Defensive mistakes and the gap in strength between the two teams explain the final result, but what is important is the attitude and courage the players showed when facing Barcelona."

Sarabia coached Barcelona as Setién’s assistant in the second half of the 2019-20 season. When asked if he thought he could one day return to Barcelona as head coach, he chose to avoid the question. "When I said goodbye, I said I would come back one day, but life keeps teaching me to enjoy the moment and enjoy every day, and I feel like I still have a lot to do in Elche."

When talking about Peña, Sarabia said: "He is still young and needs to take the responsibility of taking a step forward. This determines what kind of goalkeeper he wants to be, because he has been Ter Stegen's substitute for many years, but I think he is a very good goalkeeper with all the necessary qualities."