Espanyol manager Manolo Gonzalez did not hold back after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid, praising his squad’s defensive grit but absolutely tearing into the refereeing standard. Gonzalez made it crystal clear he wasn’t happy with what he saw as totally inconsistent criteria between the two teams, despite their hard fought effort.
Espanyol’s Defense Was On Point, Until It Wasn’t
Gonzalez was quick to laud his team’s defensive strategy, especially for the bulk of the game. They managed to keep Real Madrid at bay for long stretches, sticking to the game plan of preventing them from getting behind the backline. “Up until the 70th minute, it was what we had worked on: preventing them from getting behind us. We defended quite well,” Gonzalez stated. He acknowledged that the two goals Real Madrid scored came from their own mistakes, rather than superior play from the opposition. While Mbappé was undeniably disruptive, Gonzalez felt the team’s overall defensive performance was solid. However, the squad struggled to launch effective counter-attacks as fatigue set in, making it tough to escape their own half and really challenge Real Madrid.
Uneven Whistles Drove Gonzalez Crazy
The real frustration for Gonzalez came with the officiating. He stressed that the refereeing didn’t determine the final score, but the inconsistent standards between Espanyol and Real Madrid really got under his skin. “The refereeing didn’t affect the result, but what bothers me is the criteria,” he vented. He noticed every single throw-in and even the slightest contact resulted in a foul call against Espanyol, while “Real Madrid’s fouls weren’t counted. The criteria weren’t applied equally.” This double standard was particularly maddening when Espanyol tried to press, with “the slightest thing is a foul, but on the other side it’s not… it’s frustrating.” He even pointed to Lozano getting a yellow card for protesting, suggesting some players get more leeway with officials.
No Targeting Vinicius, Just Football
Gonzalez also had to address Jose Mourinho’s earlier comments about opponents supposedly targeting Vinicius Junior. The Espanyol manager completely rejected the idea that his team went into the match looking to provoke or excessively foul the Real Madrid star. “Mourinho’s comments about Vinicius getting bullied? If we can’t touch him… This is football,” Gonzalez shot back. He saw no excessive tackles and highlighted that in the modern game with cameras everywhere, serious fouls don’t go unpunished. “We didn’t go looking for trouble or provoke him. They’re simply part of the game.” Gonzalez clearly has a bone to pick with how games are being called, and after a tough loss where he felt the criteria were all off, you gotta wonder if this frustration bubbles over in the next one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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