“We're not going to throw in the towel”

Girona coach Michel Sanchez claimed after Tuesday's defeat against PSV (4-0) that there are still four rounds left in the Champions League league phase and that his team will not "throw in the towel" and will fight "to the maximum" to reach the knockout rounds.

The Spanish coach affirmed that the Champions League is “a dream” for Girona, which “can give many joys”, and has the squad to be “alive” and be “protagonist” in the three competitions. The defeat in Eindhoven has been “a hard blow”, but he pointed out the need to “turn the page quickly”, look ahead and think about La Liga and Sunday's match in Getafe, the last one before the international break.

In this sense, the coach admitted that Girona need to “recover the players' state of mind to be able to compete in Getafe”, since “80 or 90%” of the starting team will be the same due to the plague of injuries. “We need one last effort because then we can rest and recover players,” added the coach.

Michel Sanchez was "very satisfied" with a "very good" first half in which Girona withstood the pace of a "very vertical" and "very strong team at home" and had the clearest chance. However, he regretted that the team should have defended “much better” the actions of the first two goals, which he blamed on “important mistakes”.

Down 2-0 and with the sending off of Arnau Martinez in the 55th minute, the match became "very difficult" for his team, but he added that it was "totally understandable and forgivable" and that the match was "very good" until the red card. From that moment on, PSV was “superior” in terms of “physical capacity” and “talent” and deserved the victory. 

 

November 5, 2024