Madelón on Central Córdoba loss: «If you don't kill it off, this happens» | OneFootball

Leonardo Madelón spoke after Unión’s 2-1 defeat to Central Córdoba at the 15 de Abril and offered a strong self-criticism, although he also highlighted his team’s performance for much of the match. The coach felt that El Tatengue did enough to deserve all three points, but failed to make the most of its good moments and ended up paying a very high price for a burst of defensive mistakes.

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“We were doing the hardest part, taking the lead and playing well. In the first half we had chances to extend the lead, and when we were at our best, the goals came,” Madelón explained. In that sense, he admitted there were mistakes: “In three or four minutes we made errors and they turned the game around on us. We had to kill it off, and when you don’t kill it off, these things happen to you.”

The red-and-white coach also took responsibility for the defeat and rejected describing it as a “black night.” “I take responsibility for this. We had it there to close out, and maybe I made a mistake somewhere, with something I said at halftime or something. We were doing well in the second half, we had come out well,” he said.

One of the aspects that worries the coach most is the number of goals conceded. Unión has allowed seven goals in its first four matches, and Madelón admitted that the team needs to find better balance. “A lot of goals worry me. They’re getting at us too much. We’re too generous as well,” he acknowledged, adding that the team has a tendency to be too attack-minded, which at times leaves it exposed at the back.

Along those lines, the coach explained that his footballing idea will remain offensive, although he will have to make adjustments to keep the team from being exposed. “Maybe I’m going too far because of my obsession with attacking, and we’ll use another system too, not so naive at times,” he said. However, he made it clear that he does not intend to abandon his approach: “My idea is to keep promoting attacking football, a team that attacks, that is respected, that is uncomfortable to play against, and that runs a lot.”

Madelón also called for calm regarding the players and especially defended the young ones who are taking on a leading role. He said the squad is going through a process of adaptation due to the changes in names and characteristics it has undergone in recent times. “Unión fans have to stay calm, the boys give their all. Maybe one player’s best is different from that of someone who left, but they give their maximum effort and we’ll find our rhythm,” he said.

On the other hand, the coach referred to the future of some players amid the possibility that they could leave during the transfer window. “I can’t guarantee it, but I don’t want them to leave,” Madelón said, expressing his desire to keep the squad currently at his disposal.

With four points from the first four rounds, Unión needs to start picking up points again to stay in the fight to finish among the top eight. Madelón is already focused on the next match, which will be away to San Lorenzo: “We have to start picking up points and stay inside the top eight, that’s our objective.”

In closing, the coach made it clear that the blow of the defeat against Central Córdoba is a big one, but that there is no time for regrets. “We all make mistakes in life, we made mistakes and we have to pay the bill quickly. That’s Saturday,” he said. And he added about the next challenge: “We have to go and work on it very intelligently.”

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