Rubi: 'Winning is never easy and we’ve done it 4 games in a row'
The UD Almería head coach hails ‘excellent’ first half against Córdoba CF but admits his side should have put the game to bed earlier
‘Picking up 3 points in this division is very difficult, and we’ve now done it four matchdays in a row. That means we’re working very well,' stated UD Almería head coach Joan Francesc Ferrer Sicilia 'Rubi'.
That was his verdict after UD Almería’s hard-fought victory over Córdoba CF. The head coach made no attempt to hide his satisfaction: ‘I’m tremendously happy with the run we’re on.’
Reflecting on the match, the Catalan described the opening 45 minutes as ‘top level, excellent’, insisting his side deserved a greater cushion at the break. ‘We could've gone into half-time with at least one more goal,’ he explained. ‘In the second half we didn’t quite manage to put together clear counter-attacks, although we still had good chances. By not scoring the third, we kept the opponent alive,' he added.
Rubi acknowledged the tactical shift after the interval, particularly once the Cordobesistas began committing more players forward: ‘At 2-0 they had to take risks and push men up the pitch. We handled it well and opted to play with 5 at the back because, with the absences we have, we didn’t have enough fresh options in midfield.’
UD Almería end the weekend in the automatic promotion spots, though Rubi was quick to downplay the significance of the table at this stage. ‘We’re already in Albacete BP mode,’ he said, with a short turnaround ahead of Friday’s trip. ‘We play again very soon and logically, we want to continue in this direction,' he said.
Despite the narrow scoreline against high-quality opposition, the Vilassar de Mar native was unequivocal in his assessment: ‘We were clearly the deserved winners.’
Even in victory, the message from the UD Almería bench was one of ambition. ‘We’re doing many things well but we still have room for improvement and we must keep progressing,' he concluded.