Alessio Lisci: “We Did Enough to Draw, but You Can’t Throw Away a First Half Like That”

Osasuna head coach Alessio Lisci spoke to the media after his side’s 1-0 defeat at San Mamés against Athletic Club. “I think in the second half we did enough to get a draw. We did what was in our hands, but what can’t happen is to throw away a first half like that and not be alive in certain situations, because these matches are usually decided by details,” he said. He added: “You have to know how to play this kind of match when it gets ugly and scrappy, and once again we weren’t able to do that.”

Asked about the reasons for the defeat, Lisci said: “The first half reminded me a lot of the matches in Valencia and Sevilla. When the game gets ugly, we end up conceding from situations where we’re not fully engaged in the match, which is what happened today. They even had chances to score a second goal in the same way.” He stressed: “We need to be much more engaged in those situations, especially when the game is ugly, because it can happen — even more so at this stage of the season, when everyone has a lot at stake.”

He later explained: “With Catena unavailable, we had planned a certain type of game — bringing the double pivot closer to the build-up to have cleaner possession. Up to that point, I think we did well. The problem was that we dropped too deep with the full-backs and midfielders, and that limited our progression.” He added: “Toward the end of the first half, in the last 10 minutes, I think we improved because we corrected that. In the second half, I think we played very well and did enough to equalize.”

Asked whether the team lacked attitude, Lisci said: “I don’t think that’s the case, because matches also have to be analyzed from the opponent’s side. It’s not that Athletic Club did much more than us in the first half; they simply made the most of those situations by being more engaged. But being engaged isn’t about playing with desperation — I don’t think that’s it. It’s happened in other matches, and sometimes it comes down to other factors we need to analyze.”

“I do think that at certain moments we could have done more. From there, these are things that can happen. We can’t think this is an easy stadium, especially with the atmosphere that had built up beforehand. It’s about continuing to correct mistakes, refining situations and seeing how we can improve,” he added.

Lisci concluded: “This doesn’t change anything about what we have planned for the future or what we’re fighting for. We need to put in a great performance at home this weekend, secure survival and then try to push forward as much as possible.”