Bordalás: “The team tried every way that they could, but it was not the best attacking game”

Why did the team find it so hard? Was it because of the break? What does Bryan Gil have?

He has been in the shower and is feeling better. It was a knock and I imagine that the medical team will do tests. Let's trust that it is just a knock and it is nothing serious. From there, the team lacked more creation. We came into the game with the intention of winning.

It has happened to us before that after an international break, many players have arrived late and we have had little time to prepare for the match. It is not an excuse, but we have had little time to analyse the game.

This is part of football and we have many international players who have been away for two weeks. It hasn't been our best game on an offensive level and we haven't created much more.

How are Foulquier and Marcos André?

Marcos André has had a back problem for a long time and is undergoing treatment. He is not 100% fit. He has been suffering from difficulties and we have not been able to have him available.

Foulquier had a muscular problem. Yesterday he did not feel good, and we are not going to take risks with any player because we have the final of the Copa del Rey coming up. We have decided to rest them, but they are not major injuries.

Does the draw at home feel better because it was goalless and marked a good defensive showing?

It is true that it continues to give us confidence. We have only conceded one goal, an own goal, and that says a lot about the notable improvement on a defensive level, but we don't think about that.

We are more focused on the fact that we weren’t able to get the victory. The intention was to win against opponents who were very well organised and didn’t allow us to create much.

They are a very well organised team and they had no problem committing tactical fouls. That stopped the rhythm and deprived us of being able to create more attacking situations. We have to keep going. The team tried and it wasn’t the best game on an offensive level.

The 3-5-2 formation gives the team the best defensive balance, but does it hinder the attack?

We started the game with three centre backs, then we changed to 4-4-2. We always seek to find balance. Players like Thierry Correia and Gabriel Paulista returned today, coming back from long-term injuries, and I have to see how to balance and protect the players, so they don't do extra work. It has gone well for us in many games, but the formation itself is the least important thing.

In the end it is about making sure that the team have balance. Today we may have lacked clarity offensively, or the offensive aggressiveness to generate more chances and be clearer in front of goal.

We have spent the whole season trying to get into the fight for Europe, but you haven’t succeeded yet. What is missing from the team to achieve it?

We know it is very difficult. A good streak of results does not guarantee anything. It's going to be tough because there's a gap in points. We have to have a very good run and need our rivals to stop winning.

But we have to focus on ourselves and on scoring points, and the table will tell us if we have a chance. Today we are angry about not having won, but we must focus on the next match.

Guedes warmed up on the sidelines and seemed to lack spark. Was there any problem?

No, he was fine. He was doing some work that the fitness coach had prepared for him. He has been away with his national team, but he has not had minutes and that is decisive for a player who has been playing every week.

He made an effort. We are calm because he has a huge commitment to the team. Things haven't worked out for him today, but he's the first to know that the team needs him and in the next few games he's going to be at his best level. I do not have any doubt about that.