Jagoba Arrasate: "We had to fight hard"

Osasuna head coach Jagoba Arrasate addressed the media following the hard-fought draw. He emphasized the significance of the result for his team.

"Right now, this point feels huge because we had to fight so much, we had to battle a great rival," Arrasate said. "We made a mistake, they went up 1-0 and it seemed like everything was lost. But the team, with the fans behind us, found a second wind. We had two chances, and on the second one, we were able to score."

Arrasate added: "We are very happy because this point is very important for us, especially for our morale after conceding the first goal and then managing to equalize. Now we have two weeks to work, to improve and to try to win at home against Malaga."

Arrasate also analyzed the match itself, describing the challenges his team faced against Athletic Club.

"The first half was even, with few clear chances, but not in terms of play because with the ball, they pushed three forward and stretched Hugo out wide. It’s very hard to adjust and you have to run a lot," Arrasate said.

He continued, "In the second half, it was harder for us, probably because of our energy levels. They had more chances than we did, but I liked the team's drive, how the substitutes came on and made an impact. That energy was essential and we needed it."

Arrasate stressed the quality of the opposition and the importance of the result.

"You have to value everything because you’re facing a team on the rise, a great team with a great coach and top players, even world champions. They’re getting better and better, so for all these reasons, we view the point positively," he said.

Arrasate also offered some self-criticism: "In positional attack, neither Deportivo nor Athletic have created many chances against us, but we’re still making mistakes. We need to fix that because it’s very hard to get points in La Liga if we don’t."

Finally, Arrasate reflected on the importance of resilience and the upcoming international break.

"Let’s see if that burst of energy serves as proof that you can take a hit, get back up and still accomplish things," he said.

"The break will be good for us, since there are no matches. We’ll be able to work differently, and we have two weeks to do it. I think it will be important to recover [defender] Jorge [Herrando],[midfielders] Aimar and Romain [Del Castillo], because that will make us better. From there, we can keep improving. I believe we have room for growth, and I am hopeful," Arrasate concluded.