Back

Gónzalez: "We made the changes late"

The coach reviews the Catalan derby draw

RCD Espanyol coach Manolo González reviewed the 1-1 draw with Girona FC in his post-match press conference, and made a positive analysis of the match despite the final result.

“It was hard for us to get into the game until we made a couple of adjustments. In the second half we were fighting until the end. It was a shame that we didn't score again to make it 2-0. In a stretch of the game we played very well, but we didn't manage to score the second goal. It's true that they had chances too, and we have to recognise their merit. The work by the team today was important,” the coach stressed.

“What happened in the end is that we made the changes late. They came after the penalty and the idea was to have made them before. We had chances to score the second goal, but they have a level of quality and their changes gave them a boost in terms of speed and rhythm. That's what a Champions League level squad has: Substitutions give you a lift,” he indicated.

González also pointed out that in order to improve, the team should play wih more calm.

“The only complaint I have is that if we were a bit more daring with the ball, we would have won. When we tried that, we had the chances. In the second half, we found that. The chance that led to the goal was thanks to our taking our time."

"I want to highlight the great game played by Javi Puado. The keys to improving are having more pause and keeping the ball. We are insisting on this issue. Many of the players in the squad are playing in the Primera División for the first time this year, and we are paying that price at times. In addition, we have really suffered this year and that, despite making us stronger, takes away that bit of confidence that we lack,” he summed up.