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Martínez: "We knew that we had to compete to the fullest"

The coach talks about the 0-3 win over Rincón in the Copa del Rey

After a tough Copa del Rey opener against Rincón, RCD Espanyol coach Diego Martínez assessed the 0-3 victory on the road.

“In the first half we lacked intensity and better coordination on some of our attacking moves. In the second half we took a step forward in our pace and precision. It was one of those games where you know you have to compete to the fullest."

The coach recognised that the sending off of Dani Gómez at the end of the first half "was a very serious mistake that harmed the team," but insisted that he was satisfied with the response that his players produced.

The coach also repeated his idea from his pre-match press conference, stating that “I don't like to talk about rotation. A player doesn't play because it's his turn, but because he deserves it and, in that sense, we always think about all the conditioning factors that the game has when we choose a starting XI."

Martínez spoke about the international break, which he believes "has to help us disconnect and come back with our heads focused on continuing to improve."

"I go into the break with the feeling that we have overcome a round of the cup, that we deserved more last Sunday against Villarreal and that we have made progress. Our points tally is bad and insufficient. We need and want more points, but it's not worth thinking about that. We should focus on the fact that we have five games left to finish the first half of the season, and we have to come back excited and committed to continue competing and improving."