Sporting Gijon have won many admirers due to their enterprising style in this campaign, and the man who is responsible for instructing them to go out and attack was not too dejected following their 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Manolo Preciado described the final result as "too much punishment".
The Sporting coach admitted that his side had a "poor defensive balance, against one of the most potent attacking teams", but also said that he would prefer to lose like this than by a 1-0 scoreline.
For Preciado, the match turned when Atletico scored their fourth goal: "When Barral scored to make it 2-3, we had many chances and I thought we would equalise with Diego Castro's chance, but then they went up the other end and scored. It was an immense blow and it killed the game."
The substitution of Gerard for David Barral seemed like an inspired one at the time, but Preciado refused to take any credit: "I had to make it because Gerard was feeling unwell."
The Sporting boss, however, is not going to spend any time moping. He ended the press conference by stating that "this game is already over, and now we must think about Athletic Bilbao next Sunday".
On the evidence of the season so far, there is no doubt that the Sporting coach (who, certain cheeky observers have noted, bears a striking resemblance to Super Mario), has created one of the most entertaining teams in recent memory.
Arjun Miglani, Goal.com
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