Fran Escriba insisted he was happy with his Elche players despite losing 2-0 to Atletico Madrid.
Koke and Diego Costa netted in the second half to give the capital club all three points.
“I’m very happy with my players,” Escriba told a Press conference. “I’m happy with the game, just not with the result.
“We lost today, but we will move forward. Hopefully next year Atletico can come back here for a League game.
“It’s never easy against a team this good – even if you work hard, which we did, then it’s difficult to win.
“I never blame the players for a defeat. If anyone’s upset they should look at me.”
