Ståle - Satisfied until 2-0
Ståle Solbakken remained upbeat following FCK’s 4-0 loss to Real Madrid on Wednesday. In a post-match press conference the manager confirmed he was pleased with the Lions’ display for an hour but admitted mistakes cost them late on.
By Joe Short
Ståle spoke to media inside the Bernabeu and began with a positive message for the team:
- I was very satisfied until it was 2-0. Before that I think we played a quite even game. In the first half we created as many chances as we hoped to create against them. After that we gave them two goals. Real Madrid are maybe the best counter-attacking team in Europe. That takes away from the good performance for 60-65 minutes, the coach said.
Copenhagen were denied a goal midway through the first half when Madrid midfielder Luka Modric appeared to handle the ball on the goal-line, following Nicolai Jørgensen’s header onto the bar.
- Maybe it was a decisive moment in the game just before half time, Ståle said. I feel it can be given a penalty. If it’s a penalty the referee has to give a red card. But I can understand why the referee didn’t because the ball went very fast. I don’t blame the referee at all but that could have been a big turning point in the game.
Watch Ståle speak to FCKTV after the match
Ståle is seeing an improvement in the squad. However, with matches coming every three-to-four days there is little time to implement training routines:
- We are playing a new system and it takes time. We don’t have that much time on the training pitch but if we can climb the league table we will be okay in the Champions League. We have one more point than we thought we would have.
Ahead for FCK are back-to-back clashes with Galatasaray, starting with a trip to Istanbul before a round-four match in PARKEN:
- If you looked at the games beforehand maybe our chance to take three points in the fourth game at home against Galatasaray was our best. It will be two very important games for us. Also, the score in Istanbul is very important in case we finish on the same points.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted FCK frustrated their team in the first half, which is why he changed things around at the break in search of the win:
- I wasn’t really pleased with the game at the end of the first half, the Italian said. I told them they had to be quicker and faster because we do have the qualities to play in this manner.
