The Villarreal head coach praised his team’s reaction after the break, as they sought to reduce the deficit
Villarreal CF head coach Marcelino García Toral spoke to the media after his side’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the third match of the UEFA Champions League league phase.
“We congratulate City and Guardiola on the victory. I think the chances they created in the opening minutes really affected us. It caused us some doubts and we weren’t reactive enough. The second goal also hurt us. However, the team responded well in the second half. We had chances to score. I’m proud of that. We showed energy, belief and determination. We made things difficult for City and we deserved to score,” he analysed.
Marcelino emphasised the team’s response after the break: “We had four clear chances in the game. If we had scored, who knows what could have happened? They could have hurt us, but I think it would have been fair for the second half we produced and it would have made the final stretch of the game more exciting.”
As for Villarreal’s future in the competition, the head coach felt that his side have earned fewer points than they deserve so far: “We’ve played the three most difficult games. We’ve got one point, although I think we’ve deserved more, but the feeling is positive. The team competes. The reaction in the second half gives us confidence and makes us believe that we have the weapons and solutions to compete against any team, leaving twelve sides behind and fighting for qualification.”
