Coudet frustrated as Alavés fail to capitalise on Sevilla red card
The Alavés manager admitted his side lacked precision despite playing most of the match with a numerical advantage against 10-man Sevilla.
Alavés manager Eduardo Coudet couldn’t hide his disappointment after his side failed to make their numerical advantage count against Sevilla, settling for a draw when three points seemed there for the taking.
Red card advantage squandered
Sevilla were reduced to 10 men after just 16 minutes when Juanlu was sent for an early bath, but Alavés couldn’t capitalize on their good fortune. The Argentine gaffer was brutally honest about his team’s performance, admitting they were “imprecise with one more” player for nearly the entire match.
Coudet’s assessment was spot on - his lads simply didn’t have the nous to break down a resilient Sevilla side who dug in after the dismissal. The first half was particularly poor from the visitors, with Coudet lamenting their inability to read the game properly.
Second half improvements
Things did improve after the break, with Alavés finally showing some intent:
- More players getting between the lines
- Increased presence in the penalty area
- Better demonstration of their numerical superiority
But it wasn’t enough to find that winning goal against a Sevilla side who remained dangerous on the counter despite their disadvantage.
VAR controversy
In typical fashion, VAR had to stick its oar in. Coudet was left proper frustrated when Lucas Boyé had a potential winner chalked off with the scores level at 1-1. According to the boss, his striker was ruled offside by “a fingernail” in what he described as a difficult decision.
The Alavés manager couldn’t resist pointing out that his team seems to be on the wrong end of these marginal calls more often than not, claiming they’re “statistically one of the teams most hurt when decisions are in the grey area.”
Points dropped
Despite acknowledging his team’s resilience against a physically strong opponent, Coudet was crystal clear that one point wasn’t enough. In his view, Alavés should have walked away with all three points, especially after dominating the second half.
“We should have deserved all three points,” Coudet insisted, in a rare direct quote that sums up the afternoon’s disappointment for the Basque outfit.