Xabi Prieto has admitted that he is still ruing Real Sociedad’s defeat to Real Madrid, but insists that focus is on three points over Deportivo.
La Real fell to a 4-3 defeat at the weekend to 10-man Madrid, with Prieto notably netting a hat-trick for the visitors.
However, he has reflected that he still wishes he could swap those goals for a better result from the Bernabeu.
“Of course I feel the same. At the end I said that, and after watching the game I still think the same,” the attacking midfielder told reporters in his pre-Deportivo Press conference.
“I think we all left with the same feeling, that we missed a great opportunity to, at the very least, have gotten a point or to have even won the game.
“It hurts a lot. All losses are painful, but more so the ones where you saw you had a chance. With the red card for Adan, with the penalty and then the equalising goal, at the break we believed in the possibility of winning the game, but then in the second half, especially for the fourth goal, it became very difficult.”
Prieto was challenged on whether he and his teammates were too hung up on the Madrid game to discredit facing Depor at Anoeta this Sunday afternoon.
“We have already begun to prepare for the match against Depor. We have the opportunity to finish the first round of fixtures with 28 points, which anyone would have taken with their eyes closed at the start of the season.
“Yes it is true that there are a few injuries and suspensions this weekend, but I believe that there are a group of players prepared to do very well and we have to trust in them.
“To get 28 points from the first half of the season would be very good. Of course we would have liked to have had some more, but, as I said before, I think it is a very good number that would leave us higher up in the table.
“Then we have Barcelona to play in Week 20, but the match against Depor, I believe, gives us a very good chance. It is the game that we cannot drop points in.
“Before losing to Madrid, we were on a run of seven straight games without losing. Breaking that streak was a shame, but it is true that the team is still very comfortable, we have noticed that the fans are enthusiastic and hopefully they can stay so with three points against Deportivo.”
