Pedro Porro speaks out after controversial gesture v Crystal Palace | OneFootball

This Monday, he took advantage of the press conference previewing the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 match between 'his' Tottenham and Atlético de Madrid, to clarify the controversy stemming from how he reacted last weekend when he was substituted by Xavi Simons, in the final stretch of the 3-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace.

A situation that caused quite a stir in England, to the point where some speculated it was a direct 'attack' on the coach himself, the Croatian Igor Tudor. However, in front of journalists, the former Sporting player - who is preparing for a clash with Bodø/Glimt - made a point of emphasizing that it stemmed from the delicate sporting situation the historic London team has been going through.

"It was my own reaction, and I just want to make it clear that it had nothing to do with the coach. I am a player who gives everything on the field, 200%, and we never like to lose. It's just about that. So, I just want to end all the speculation that it had to do with the coach. We've never been in this situation, and it was just my reaction," he began by saying, in statements reproduced by the British portal 'Football.London'.

"It hasn't been easy, due to everything we've been through. Of course, throughout the season, I have repeated this. I suffered a slight injury a few weeks ago, and I just needed to be prepared. I can tell you that they went through difficult periods, but this does not affect my mentality, nor that of my teammates," he continued.

"We always want to do our best, and of course, the last few weeks haven't gone as we wanted. They didn't go as we expected, and we just need to keep going until the end and do things the best way possible," concluded the 26-year-old Spanish international.

Pedro Porro also made a point of leaving a message of confidence to Igor Tudor: "Since I found out he was coming to the club, I knew he would be a coach who would help us a lot. All the players know that we need to be on the right track with him. He's only been with us for three weeks, and he just needs to learn everything about us, and vice-versa, but we are on the right track."

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