Espanyol Suffers Heavy Defeat Against Villarreal

Espanyol experienced a painful defeat during their visit to Villarreal, suffering a decisive 4-1 loss. This marks yet another setback for Manolo González’s squad, who are currently navigating one of the most challenging periods of the season. The team has now gone six matches without securing a victory.

In a post-match press conference, González expressed his displeasure with both the team’s performance and their defensive blunders. Commenting on contentious moments in the game, he stated, “I need to review them thoroughly. If you call a foul on the play leading to the first goal, you must also whistle for similar instances. I don’t want to dwell on this, but the first half should not have concluded with a 2-0 deficit. In the second half, when we attempted to press them, they scored again. We lacked aggression and failed to manage their counterattacks, which effectively ended the match for us.”

Regarding the team’s defensive fragility, he acknowledged, “Yes, this has been a recurring issue, including in our match against Alavés. Villarreal possesses talent, but the goals we conceded were highly preventable. They approached every play with intensity, while we must regain our composure. All four goals were avoidable, and we need to implement changes swiftly; otherwise, our ambitions will not materialize. We cannot allow them to have 20 counterattacks, and I am quite frustrated with the situation. The first half should not have seen us trailing 2-0. In the second half, as we pushed forward, we were punished.”

When asked about Salinas’s performance, González remarked, “I prefer not to single out a player, as this is a collective issue. As a team, we did not perform well. We failed to halt plays we discussed throughout the week. Villarreal is the best team in the league in transition.”

Concerning Ngonge’s debut, he said, “He worked hard, along with those who came on in the second half, contributing to ensure the score did not escalate further. I believe he will enhance our one-on-one play, and we hope he can contribute significantly, as we need it.”

Regarding the goals conceded, he explained, “The goals were not due to obsession but rather the last two resulted from being out of position. Marko couldn’t do anything about the goals. We must not allow such situations and need to correct them quickly.”

Finally, he emphasized the need to return to their earlier form, stating, “We need to replicate what we achieved last season in the second half, which was more challenging, and revert to the performance of the first half of this campaign. We must convey that message from the field.”