Julián Calero Reflects on Recent Match and Team Dynamics

Julián Calero appeared at a press conference following Levante’s defeat to Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium. The Levante coach did not shy away from analyzing the circumstances surrounding Carlos Álvarez’s disallowed goal and the current state of his team.

Reflecting on the match, Calero stated, “The feeling is that when you come to a stadium like this and face a team of this caliber, there’s a difference between what you want to achieve and what is realistically possible. It was evident that we struggled early on. We believed that we could create some chances during those initial minutes, but it took us a while to get into the game. After the equalizer, we had some promising moments, and the team performed reasonably well until the 2-1. However, from that point onward, we faced challenges, particularly leading to the 3-1. The players made a commendable effort, but we need to give more. The objective is to secure points, and we must elevate our performance to achieve that.”

On the action leading to the annulled 3-2 goal, he remarked, “I’ve reviewed it multiple times. It’s not a straightforward situation. No one obstructed Oblak’s line of sight. By the time the player made contact with the ball, he had already surpassed Oblak. I don’t even believe he was offside. Regardless, it would have been the 3-2, and in the dying moments, anything could have happened; we were denied that final opportunity to equalize. To be honest, I viewed it through the excitement of the match.”

Discussing the team’s mentality at the beginning of the season, Calero expressed, “We are prepared. We know we are in for a challenging year, and we understand it will be tough. The key is to remain composed and continue accumulating points. Observing how the team is competing, I am confident that as they gain maturity, they will start to secure points. We are committed to competing everywhere we go.”

Regarding improvements in set pieces, he noted, “We are putting in a lot of work in this area, but we recognize that we do not have the best set-piece takers or finishers. Sometimes, scoring from a dead ball situation requires an extraordinary taker and competent finishers. It’s true that we have a lot of work ahead. Last week, we scored from a corner, and today we netted from a free kick… It’s just another aspect of the game that we need to maximize.”

On the officiating by Gil Manzano, Calero stated, “He seemed uncertain and did not provide clear answers. Everything was very subtle, but there are times when… I prefer not to comment. I hold a great deal of respect for referees, yet they are aware of the environment in which they officiate. Sometimes, a foul is not called on you, but when you commit even a minor infringement, it gets whistled. These situations occur in football. I always try to assess things from a footballing perspective. I don’t want to place undue emphasis on the referee and instead focus on our performance. Ultimately, it’s more about us than the referee, as this will significantly benefit the team.”