Carlos Carvalhal: “We didn’t have a good day, but it’s important to win”

Club coach Celtic, Carlos Carvalhal He was “pleased with the win” of his team against Elche. “It was not a good day, but the important thing is that we won. In Portugal, they say a lot that the final must be won, and this match was the final for us”, he said. He believes that the fundamental thing in the given circumstances was not “to play a big game, but to be serious” and ready “for anything”.

In this sense, he delved into the fact that his players were capable of “attacking, defending and passing well, knowing that the opponent can attack and counterattack”. Because he also took into account that the circumstances made Elche more dangerous. “It is a team in a difficult phase, because it has competition, it has bad results and there is no pressure,” he elaborated.

Carvalhal pointed out that his players had ” modesty to quickly come back together to control the opponent. “Because of the opponent’s situation, he was able to open the game, the team’s game. We had to be ready and my players worked well,” he added. He thinks they could have scored earlier, and he doesn’t deny that he would have liked it to be that way. “There were some other situations, more offensive fluidity, more shots, more danger. But when there is suffersthe satisfaction of scoring a goal is more appreciated,” he said.

He explained that he chose Renato Tapia to repeat as a central defender for two reasons: because he was the best in the team in that position at the Santiago Bernabéu and because Unai was showing exhaustion, more mental than physical, from the many minutes he accumulated during the season. “The midfielder who plays in defense could give a better start and serve the attackers, and he did that, crossing towards Carles. He contributed to the offensive game, which was necessary for this match,” he pointed out.

He also wanted to emphasize that all the players who came off the bench made a good contribution, which is an example of Cervi Aidou’s help. And he didn’t forget Celtic’s answer either: “It’s Wednesday evening, very late, many people work tomorrow, sleep for a few hours.” They mattered.”