Madelón after Unión's 4-1: “Today the team won in every way” | OneFootball

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

See this post on InstagramA post shared by Radio Gol Santa Fe 96.7FM (@radiogolsantafe)

“Happy because the team has reconnected with the fans. Today the supporters needed a result like this, a convincing one against a very tough opponent,” the coach said at the 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 visiting side’s aerial game and rely 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. About Tarragona, he particularly praised the first goal: “He scored an incredible goal. He unleashed an absolute rocket. Impressive.”

“I feel identified with this team”

One of the strongest remarks 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 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 match that at times was very scrappy.

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

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

Keeping their feet on the ground and thinking about Instituto

Beyond the rout, Madelón tried 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.

“Right now 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 regard, he stressed the importance of earning points in different settings and noted 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 emphasized his importance within the team: “Nacho means a lot to him.” He also explained that he had to play on the right, a different position from his usual one, and that even so he was decisive in creating danger.

Concern over Luna Diale

Not everything was good news. Mauro Luna Diale felt a slight twinge during the match and, although Madelón clarified that at first it does not seem to be anything serious, he cast doubt on his availability against Instituto.

“Maybe he won’t make it for the Instituto match. That will depend on how he progresses with the doctors,” the coach explained, although he made clear that the main concern would be if he only ends up missing one match.

Meanwhile, Bryan Cuello was substituted as a precaution because of the effort he had put in. Madelón explained that the physical data showed the forward had reached one of the highest exertion levels of the game, 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 banking on keeping their feet on the ground and continuing to build a team that, in his own words, is already beginning to represent him.

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