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González: "I'm happy with the performance but not the result"
The coach reacts to the defeat to Villarreal CF
RCD Espanyol coach Manolo González praised the performance from his team against Villarreal, in a game which ended 1-2.
“The first half was good enough to have been a 0-0 draw or a 1-1 draw, as nothing much happened. We lacked a bit of energy to go for the second ball. In the second half we came out well, and were better than them until the goal. We had a clear chance for Javi Puado and then a quality play from Ayoze saw them score their second. With the changes we made, we improved, but we were not successful in killing the game off. We were worse than them ten minutes after their goal,” he summed up.
“You have to know that against this type of team you are penalised a lot for your mistakes. The foul for the goal that made it 1-1 is very avoidable. I am happy with the game, as we competed well against Villarreal. We were better in many phases, but it did not help us to win.”
González also explained why his assistant coach, Gerard Garrido, was sent to the stands.
“We were appealling for a foul on Cheddira on the edge of the penalty area, and then the referee played an advantage with 20 players in the box. In addition, the fourth official sent off the assistant coach, who didn't say anything. He's the same one who sent me off last year away at Leganés, and when I saw him I knew that anything could happen. I understand that they sent off my assistant for getting up, not for protesting,” he commented.
“I'm annoyed by the ten minutes we had after they made it 1-2. We had the game under control. The goal to make it 1-2 hurt us. The team ended up pressing well. I'm happy with the team, but not with the result. The players gave everything they had. The team closed down Villarreal in their area. They reacted after going behind. The problem was not having the finishing.”