Madelón, after Unión’s 4-1: “Today the team won every battle” | OneFootball

Unión thrashed Sarmiento 4-1 at the 15 de Abril stadium and earned its second straight win in the Torneo Clausura. After the emphatic victory, Leonardo Madelón highlighted his team’s attitude, the support of the fans, and said he is starting to feel identified with the way the Tatengue side plays.

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“I’m happy because the team has reconnected with the fans. Today the supporters needed a result like this, a convincing one against a very difficult opponent,” the coach said at a press conference.

Madelón especially valued the work done during the week to counter Sarmiento’s strengths. As he explained, the goal was to avoid the visitors’ aerial game and focus on moving the ball along the ground. “When we did that, that’s how the goals came,” he said.

The coach also referred to the individual performances of Cristian Tarragona, who scored twice, and Ignacio Malcorra, who returned from injury and was decisive with a goal and an assist. Speaking about Tarragona, he especially praised the first goal: “He scored an incredible goal. What a rocket he unleashed. Impressive.”

“I feel identified with this team”

One of the strongest points of the press conference came when Madelón was asked whether he already felt represented by this version of Unión, after the criticism that arose following the defeat to San Lorenzo.

“Yes, I do feel identified because I saw the team play well, I saw it look solid, it understood how to play the match,” he said. He also highlighted the collective effort and the squad’s ability to compete in a game that at times was very scrappy.

Along those same lines, the coach stressed the intensity the team showed throughout the 90 minutes: “Today when we arrived, I said, ‘hey, we won everything.’ From the first minute to the ninetieth, everything. In the 50-50 balls, physically, in finishing, and set pieces didn’t trouble us.”

For Madelón, the change also had a strong emotional component. He recalled that after the defeat to San Lorenzo the team was shaken and had to “settle the score” quickly. After the wins over Aldosivi and Sarmiento, he felt Unión had managed to turn that image around.

Keeping their feet on the ground and thinking about Instituto

Despite the big win, Madelón sought to remain cautious. He agreed with Tarragona that the immediate objective is to keep picking up points and not think about bigger goals just yet.

“We’re focused on playing Instituto, keep adding points, and then see where you end up,” the coach said.

The next challenge will be Instituto, another opponent Madelón described as “tough.” In that sense, he stressed the importance of picking up points in different situations and recalled that every point can be decisive when it comes to defining objectives.

Malcorra, a key piece

The return of Ignacio Malcorra was another of the night’s big pieces of news. The midfielder had suffered a hamstring strain and returned to the pitch just 13 days later.

Madelón said the player was very determined to come back and highlighted his importance within the team: “Nacho means a lot.” He also explained that he had to play on the right, a different position from his usual one, and even so he was decisive in creating danger.

Concern over Luna Diale

It was not all good news. Mauro Luna Diale felt a slight twinge during the match and, although Madelón clarified that it apparently would not be anything serious, he cast doubt on his availability against Instituto.

“He might not be ready for the Instituto match. That will depend on how he progresses with the doctors,” the coach explained, although he made it clear that the main concern would simply be missing one game.

Meanwhile, Bryan Cuello was substituted as a precaution because of the workload he had put in. Madelón explained that the physical data showed the forward had reached one of the highest levels of exertion in the match, so they decided to protect him.

With four goals, a convincing performance, and two straight wins, Unión is beginning to regain confidence. Madelón, meanwhile, is betting on keeping his feet on the ground and continuing to build a team that, in his own words, is already starting to represent him.

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