García: "We will come back and nobody should doubt that"
The coach reacts to relegation to the Segunda División
RCD Espanyol coach Luis García faced the media following a tough night at Mestalla, where his side's 2-2 draw was not enough to avoid relegation to the Segunda División.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, he expressed the hurt suffered by the relegation, and also noted several refereeing decisions in the last week had gone against Los Pericos.
“We cannot hide it. RCD Espanyol didn't go down due to these decisions, but they did have an affect on these last two games. We say it how it is. I make mistakes and I have to accept that; it's the way it is. Everybody makes mistakes. There was the situation on Wednesday against Atletico Madrid, which was something that is unbelievable that it happens in this league. Today we had the foul on Braithwaite that led to Valencia's equaliser... But the incident with Montes was amazing: He scores cleanly and the goal is disallowed within a second. I don't understand anything. We have to look at ourselves. It is sad to see a dressing room like this, so hurt, because they fought against everything, but we will come back and nobody should doubt that," he stated.
“This is one of the hardest days of my career, because I have a passion for this club and it is a very sad day. We are very hurt. We put our souls into achieving something that we didn't manage to reach. However, we need to use our strength to start making decisions and building the Espanyol that we want to be for the future. We must take advantage of this to grow. I think it's a time to take the bull by the horns and build the Espanyol we want to be."
“You have to be self-critical, see what hasn't worked and make decisions -and get them right. I am calm and feel very strong to face next year. We must return as soon as possible," he concluded.