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González: "We knew we were going to create a lot"
The coach reviews the game against Real Oviedo
Manolo González expressed his satisfaction with RCD Espanyol's away win against Real Oviedo in his post-match press conference, and praised the performance from his side.
“I'm happy with the image the team are projecting. Regardless of the result, we played well and had chances. We had a 3.5XG, which is an important statistic. We weren't awful against Real Betis, and we're not Brazil from 1970 because of how we did today. There are things we can improve on, but I'm very happy and proud of the team," he told journalists.
On the many chances created, he commented that “We knew we were going to create a lot and that Oviedo could also create some chances against us. In the end, when you see you're not scoring goals, you think the game could slip away, but we showed our identity and what we want. We had very clear chances to take the lead earlier. Aaron Escandell made some great saves. We have to find the effectiveness that matches the chances we create.”
“The initial idea was to attack with a 3-5-2, to hit the two strikers. The plan was to attack with a 3-5-2 and defend with a 4-4-2. I'm very happy with the players' work.”
Whilst it was the team's first away win, he believed such a result should have come earlier.
“In Girona, we deserved to win, and at Anoeta against Real Sociedad, the game slipped away from us when we had it under control. Losing at the Bernabéu to Real Madrid was something that can be classed as normal. We didn't have any negative feelings on the road or anxiety about away games. We wanted to win, as always, to stay calm and see that the things we do well get their reward. In addition to the performance, it's important to reinforce your showings with results. If you play very well but lose, you're in trouble. It was important to win again and feel good. I knew the atmosphere in Oviedo would be tough and the game would be difficult.”