Íñigo Pérez says his team deserved its victory, not luck

“The victory was deserved, not down to luck,” Íñigo Pérez said after his team’s win. The coach praised the collective effort and his players’ ability to remain steady when the match became difficult.

He said the opposition’s goal had made the game more complicated. He had feared that his team might lose control, but felt they had stayed calm, kept the ball and waited for the substitutes to help. He compared that response with what he had seen in Liverpool, where, in his words, his team had remained stable at 4-2.

Íñigo Pérez also dismissed the idea that luck had determined the outcome. “I don’t believe in luck in football, or in the idea that it was simply our turn,” he said. In his view, both wins and losses come down to his team’s performance rather than fortune. He believes the side has become more responsive since the start of the season and trusts its game plan. Maintaining balance when things are not going well remains essential, he added.

Asked about video refereeing, Íñigo Pérez said he preferred to stay out of it. He also stressed how important the full-backs are to the way he wants the team to play, praising their versatility and quality. On Alex, he highlighted his composure and dynamism, which, the coach said, allow him to be bolder in how he uses him.

The coach explained his choice of Freeman by his ability to handle wingers such as Otorbi, whom he sent his best wishes. He also spoke about the need to manage playing time, without dwelling on whether his substitutions had been right or wrong. What mattered to him, he said, was seeing his players smiling in the dressing room.

The victory, he cautioned, does not guarantee a better result on Tuesday in Manacor. It may help the team approach what comes next in a better frame of mind, but it does not put them in a stronger position to win. Íñigo Pérez also described himself as persistent: he recalled his Navarrese roots and his time in Vallecas, where he said he had constantly had to fight, before concluding that a coach must keep pushing through difficulties.