Quique Sánchez Flores: no worries despite Alavés winless run

Quique Sánchez Flores, Alavés head coach, assessed the team’s loss to Atlético after four games without a win. The Madrid boss praised the opponent’s display and said his side lacked precision with the ball, while he was especially unhappy about conceding near the end.

Key: late goal and dismissal

In his post-match take, Quique said, “we competed well” against a side that moved the ball quickly and “with a lot of criteria.” He also regretted the dismissal, which came when several substitutions were already planned; he would have liked to see the match “with eleven players.” With a man down, he said they were pushed into a “limit” situation and drifted away from their real chances.

VAR angle, in his view

On the sending off, he added, “I didn’t see it,” and explained that he was told there was a similar first-half incident involving Lookman where the VAR “criteria” was different. “If that’s the case, it hurts,” he said. Still, he insisted, “there’s no concern,” calling for humility about their possibilities and pointing out that they lost to a “Champions” level team.