Santiago Solari admits his Real Madrid side put in a “weak game” as they lost to Leganes – but was pleased at securing a place in the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey nonetheless.
Solari made only four changes from the La Liga victory at Real Betis on Sunday as the likes of Keylor Navas, Raphael Varane, Casemiro and Vinicius Junior all started the 1-0 loss at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque.
A Martin Braithwaite tap-in on the half-hour mark was enough to seal victory for Leganes on the night but it is 19-time winners Real who progress into the next round, even if Solari was not pleased with the display.
“It was a weak game, especially in the first half,” he said after the match.
“We got through and we gave the players who needed it their minutes. I didn’t think we were in any danger of being eliminated.”
Substitute Brahim Diaz hit the post late on for the visitors but it was a poor performance from a team out of form.
When asked why his side had struggled, Solari replied: “Sometimes you try things and they don’t work, so you have to change it.
“We lacked depth and struggled because we didn’t have a real focal point in attack. I changed things at half time in order to improve the match.”
Real host Sevilla on Saturday looking to keep up winning ways in La Liga where they sit fourth, 10 points adrift of leaders Barcelona.
