Celta Vigo manager Claudio Giráldez slammed key refereeing decisions after his team's 1-2 home defeat to Osasuna this weekend. According to Metropolitano, a red card for Marcos Alonso and a controversial penalty overturned an early lead provided by Iago Aspas's goal.
Referee Sesma Espinosa, after a VAR review, showed a straight red card to Marcos Alonso early in the second half for what was Celta's first foul of the match. Shortly after, he awarded a penalty for a handball by Javi Galán, despite the ball first striking the defender's chest. These two calls allowed Osasuna to complete a comeback. Giráldez was puzzled by the lengthy review process for the sending-off. "I understand it's not very clear if it takes so long to decide and in that case I would opt not to send him off," the coach stated.
The suspension of Marcos Alonso leaves a gap in defense for the next match. Giráldez trusts his squad's depth but admitted the red card completely changed the game. Osasuna, managed by Jagoba Arrasate, surprised Celta with a low defensive block of 5-4-1 that stifled the home side's creativity. The Vigo-based team struggled to play vertically and create clear chances, an issue the manager highlighted.
Beyond the refereeing controversy, the coach was self-critical of his team's performance. He admitted they need to improve at turning possession into real goal-scoring opportunities. "The pending task we have is to convert the dominance we've had into many more goal-scoring chances," he said. Regarding Iago Aspas's goal, the captain's first of the season, Giráldez emphasized its importance for the striker's confidence, though he noted the player is as frustrated as everyone else with the result.
With Marcos Alonso suspended, other players will need to step up. Celta has a large squad to handle this, as seen in the full squad listing. Giráldez also addressed the situation of player Javi Rueda, clarifying that his opinion was known by the club and that there is generally full alignment in decisions. "In 99 percent of cases, we have the same opinion," he assured regarding his relationship with the board. The team now looks ahead to the next fixture, a key match against Athletic Club, for which they will need to physically recover the most-used players. The defeat leaves Celta needing to pick up points quickly, something they will aim to do in the upcoming matches listed on our fixtures page.
