Malcorra after defeat: “We changed at the break, spoke to Leo and improved” | OneFootball

Unión’s stumble against Talleres left a very bitter taste in the squad for different reasons. The focus of the controversy was in the first half, when Ignacio Malcorra went down in the opposition box after a collision with goalkeeper Ezequiel Unsain; a play the midfielder claimed was a foul, but referee Nazareno Arasa waved off and the VAR chose not to review.

The captain’s complaint over Unsain’s foul

At the end of the match, the Unión player referred firmly to that play to justify his complaint: “It was a penalty because he kicked me. I’ve got the mark on my ankle.” Malcorra also revealed that the Córdoba side’s own players admitted the contact, arguing that the blow happened regardless of intent when he was trying to get past the keeper: “I poke it past him to avoid him and shoot, but he hits me. I felt the contact.” The captain protested the play repeatedly while waiting for a review from the technology that never came.

Self-criticism over the early performance

Even so, the midfielder did not hide only behind the refereeing to explain the result. He openly acknowledged that Unión were poor in the opening period and struggled with the opponent’s play: “They moved the ball well and we had a bit of trouble pressing.” In that same line of analysis, he was categorical about those first 45 minutes: “The first half was not good for us.”

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Reaction in the second half and the final blow

In his view, the strategy planned during the week could not be carried out on the pitch. The picture changed in the second half, when Unión pushed higher up the field and took better control of the game: “After the second half started, we changed, we spoke with Leo, pushed the lines up, and played better. We had the ball and the chances.”

Unfortunately, Talleres’ second goal cooled Unión’s reaction at their best moment. Even so, the team kept pushing forward and pulled one back near the end, although time ran out before they could salvage a point. For the midfielder, it is time to turn the page quickly: “We leave very angry because the idea was to win, but we have to learn from our mistakes and try to win at home now.”

Youth, squad absences, and versatility

Regarding the team’s ups and downs and the youth of the squad, Malcorra praised the group’s competitive character, although he admitted they still need to become more consistent: “I think the team is doing very well, it’s always in the game. Despite the disadvantages, we had the result there at the end. It’s a shame we didn’t know how to take advantage of it.”

He also referred to the impact of the absences, especially that of leading scorer Cristian Tarragona. Although he emphasized the striker’s quality, he preferred to appeal to the commitment of those who step onto the field: “Obviously Tarragona is extremely important. He’s our top scorer and he’s in great form. But today we should have shown more out on the pitch.”

Lastly, regarding his tactical role in the system, the player reiterated his total willingness to do whatever the coach asks:

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