Aguirre: "No result is good when you play against Madrid"

Atlante manager Aguirre acknowledged the difficulty of defending his optimism about the team's progress after a heavy defeat to Real Madrid at Mestalla.

Javier Aguirre left Mestalla without celebrating a home victory, his Valencia side suffering a decisive defeat to Real Madrid. Despite the loss, the manager insisted he continues to see positive signs in the team's development, though he admitted it is hard to justify that argument when results are not forthcoming.

"I see things now that I didn't see when I arrived," Aguirre said. "The team has done good things from the first match until today. It's difficult to sustain this argument without results. I think the team has what it takes to move forward. We have six matches left in the first half and we're short on points; we have to keep searching."

Aguirre expressed concern at failing to win any of his three home matches so far, but emphasized the intensity of facing Real Madrid. "No result is good when you play against Madrid. They are very demanding matches where you have to do things very well, and today we didn't. We were doing well, growing with the ball, and until the first goal it was very balanced, playing toe-to-toe with Madrid. The second goal was devastating," he explained. The manager praised his players' attitude after going down to ten men, and noted that both goals were avoidable.