Levante coach Luis Castro: My instructions should have been clearer, taking a point away to Malaga is not bad

Levante head coach Luis Castro said after his team's 0-0 away draw with Malaga that the team was slow to adapt to the opponent's style of play in the first half, and that his pre-match tactical instructions should have been clearer.

Castro said: "We started well. Thiago had a very good chance in the first minute, Nacho also had an opportunity, and Brugui had two more chances. Normally, he is able to take those chances."

"It took us some time to make our defensive adjustments and adapt to the game plan because the opponent used a different pressing approach. We understood it a little late, and we spoke with the players again at halftime. We started the second half better. The opponent was better in the final few minutes, but overall the two teams were evenly matched in the first half, and the number of shots was also similar. Taking a point at the opponent's home ground is not a bad result."

Speaking about the tactical setup, Castro admitted: "When we saw their starting lineup, we knew they would adopt a different approach. We had already communicated with the players beforehand and practiced it, but perhaps the way I communicated with them should have been different. From my position, I should have explained it more clearly. The players understood the tactics in the second half, and at one point we played better."

Regarding Nacho Perez being substituted, Castro said the player had no injury problem: "He contributed to some attacks on the right side and performed well, but he was already feeling tired. We felt Torjan could provide more help for the team."

Castro also assessed the performances of Musuayi and Requena: "Although Requena did not play for long, he did what we asked him to do. Yannick has some very good qualities, including that chipped dribble and several good runs, but he is still adapting to the intensity of the league. His performance was not bad. We did not create too many chances, but both players performed well."