Real Valladolid secured a victory that looked more comfortable on the scoreboard than it was on the pitch. The 2-0 win over Zaragoza virtually guarantees their survival in the Segunda División.
Speaking in the press room, coach Fran Escribá analyzed the game: “We set up in a 4-3-3 with the aim of keeping possession, but it’s true that we struggled. The idea was to compete for the ball because they pack a lot of players inside, but it didn’t work out. In the second half, although we improved in some areas, it was hard for us to break out, so we left two strikers up top and had the midfielders work with whoever came through. We didn’t think we’d have more control, but we did manage to make their build-up less clean. If we had started with a 4-4-2, we wouldn’t have even smelled the ball, so we had to fight for it. Even so, it wasn’t the match we wanted.”
When asked about the last four wins all coming against direct rivals at home, Escribá replied: “No, I wish we had a magic wand to pick and say, ‘Let’s win these games,’ because then we’d win them all. I’m happy because we came in when the team was in the relegation zone, and now we’re practically safe—almost mathematically, even if it’s not official yet. But I’m not satisfied. I think we should have performed better over these two and a half months. That said, I also understand the players. Playing under such pressure when your initial objective wasn’t this is tough, and everyone looks worse than they really are in that situation. We asked for a good reception, and the fans gave it—they cheered until the end, and that gives you strength. We took over a team afraid to play at home, and we’ve managed to make them perform well at their stadium. Three games remain, and we want to play as well as possible. We’ll analyze everything in depth later.”
On whether the tension explains the team’s struggles, he added: “I don’t want to blame everything on the situation, but it’s obvious it hasn’t helped. The fans have been great, but the atmosphere has been negative since we arrived. This is a team that came from relegation and was in the relegation zone—that was a drama for everyone, and it hurt the people. That affected the squad. I’m not results-oriented, but sometimes I think people have been unfair to this team. We’ve played complete, very good games and got nothing or just a draw. Today is not the day to say we played a great match—we didn’t. We were practical; we scored from a set piece and created chances from rehearsed situations, but the team is tense because of the situation. We have three very difficult matches left against teams fighting for a lot. We shouldn’t forget that along the way, we’ve also played good games.”
Asked why there was no excessive euphoria after the win—whether due to tension or respect for a struggling opponent—Escribá concluded: “It’s a bit of everything. I limited myself to congratulating our players and giving them a hug, and I also appreciated that we remained humble. I like that humility. I think it reflects the values of Real Valladolid and this region: respect for others. If we celebrated in a restrained way, I’m glad. Besides, even though we’re close, we have nothing to celebrate yet. We’ve won, and we’re very close, but still… I’d be really angry if I thought the season was over. There are nine points to play for, in stadiums where teams are fighting for everything against sides of high quality. I’d like to say goodbye with a great match here against Dépor. After the poor year we’ve given our fans, let’s finish with a good game and compete head-to-head trying to win. That won’t erase my frustration over the many things we’ve done wrong, but…”
