Madelón after the defeat: "We must not lose that fighting team spirit" | OneFootball

After the 3-1 defeat against Central Córdoba in Santiago del Estero, Leonardo Madelón spoke at a press conference and gave a deep analysis of the moment Unión is going through, having dropped several places in the standings of Zone A of the Clausura.

The coach acknowledged that the team is not at its best, although he called for calm: “Performances have dropped, that may be. Anyone can see that this is not the Unión we like. It's not what we want, but let's stay calm. I always keep my balance and I never got ahead of myself saying we were fighting at the top. We are coming out of a difficult situation. Maybe we picked up a lot of points all at once and it wasn’t healthy. Now we’ll analyze what we can change. I need to reflect for a couple of days. The group is hurt because we don’t like to lose, but we’re still whole.”

Madelón insisted on the need to stay calm and keep trusting the group, which he praised for its commitment: “We need to find balance and give chances, with opportunities for players to redeem themselves. I have a lot of respect for this squad, because many were questioned for their performance and we put in a lot of work. There are good players and we’re not functioning well. But that doesn’t mean that on Monday we can’t start with good energy. Unión needs to pick up points to get out of that uncomfortable zone.”

The coach also offered self-criticism about the match: “This was a game where we lost in the midfield and I warned that the secret would be there. The plan failed. The plan was good, because most teams play 4-2-3-1, with a comfortable spot for (Nicolás) Palavecino. On the board everything looks good, but it didn’t always turn out that way, because we weren’t at our best and it’s clear that several players dropped their level.”

Regarding the squad’s current state, he was clear: “We have to look for the best players and if their performance drops, they’ll be out. No one asks me or tells me who to play. We’re going to train hard. What we can’t lose is the mystique of being a tough team that nobody wanted to face. Unión is a bit more fragile or light now. We need to see why we were doing so well before and now we’re not. Before, we weren’t phenomenal and now we’re not a disaster either.”

In his review, Madelón admitted that the team has lost part of its competitive identity: “I have to figure out what’s going on. Maybe we lost our strong instinct up front and often it’s about confidence. I think we lost the religion of being a tough team. Maybe we need a little dose of humility from the coach.”

The coach also took a moment to remember and pay tribute to Miguel Russo, who recently passed away: “Much admiration and respect for Miguel Russo. I always admired his career. Everyone speaks well of him and at the end of his career he receives praise for a reason.”

Finally, he left an encouraging message for what’s to come: “We have to identify what the mistake is. It’s a challenge to see where it is. Then, focus on that. Not long ago we were at the top with a dream team and now we’re not, that’s why I appeal to balance. I’m calm about that. We have to get back on our feet quickly and with a positive attitude.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.