Gracia: "We weren't up to the standard required"

Javi Gracia was blunt about his side's showing against Real Madrid, in a 2-0 defeat away from home that left him displeased at the end of LaLiga Matchday 23.

A disappointing performance

"I don't know if it was the worst game, but it could be at least one of our worst games this season. It was a bad game, definitely."

Below standard

"When a game turns out like it did today, it is due to many circumstances. In part it is because of the superiority of the opposition, who didn't need to push to the fullest to achieve victory. And it is our fault, because we weren't up to the standard required for this match. The idea was to be more aggressive, to press in the opposing half, but we ended up defending in our own area and with little chance of getting out. I think it was pretty easy for Real Madrid."

The coach takes the blame

"I understand that the coach is the one who is responsible. He is the person with the highest level of responsibility in everything."

"The image we put out was very bad and the game was a step backwards in our trajectory. The team competed better against Atletico Madrid, even though we didn't manage to take points in that game. The intentions were different in our preparation, and we weren't able to translate that to what happened on the pitch."