Pipa urges Sabadell to stay the course after defeat in Burgos

“We don’t think we’re better or worse than anyone else; we work to pick up points every week,” Pipa said. After the defeat in Burgos, he made the case for consistency, acknowledging that Sabadell had not shown the level it usually does.

Gonzalo Pipa was brought in with Miki Codina absent and started the match. He was asked to play on the left flank on his non-dominant side, and faced a demanding test against one of the strongest opponents in the division.

Pipa admitted Sabadell had not managed to produce its usual football. “We were a little more uncomfortable than usual,” he said, while also recognising the challenge posed by the opposition: “We knew what kind of ground we were coming to.” He also pointed to what he felt his side had failed to do: “We usually make life much harder for our opponents; Sabadell usually demands more from them in every aspect.”

Pipa said the display was probably the team’s least convincing of the season because it had not been able to play the football that defines it. But he put the defeat in the context of a long league campaign: “The league is long; you can start well and finish badly. I think what you need to find is consistency.” He believes the mindset must remain the same regardless of results. Daily work, he said, will shape where the team ends up at the end of the season. “We don’t think we’re better or worse than anyone else, and we work to pick up points every week.”

The start also left Pipa with mixed feelings on a personal level. He had previously had few minutes on the pitch, so he was pleased to play but dissatisfied with the team’s result. He said satisfaction at the final whistle depends on taking points, and was demanding of himself: he believes he needs to work to find his level and is not yet close to it.

Pipa also noted that even a team in good form cannot win every match. His focus now is to analyse the performance, work on what can be improved before the next game, and rediscover the qualities that help Sabadell win matches.