Manchester City Settles for Draw Against Paris Saint-Germain in UEFA Women’s Champions League
Manchester City head coach Andrée Jeglertz expressed his disappointment after his team faced Paris Saint-Germain in a 1-1 draw at The Joie Stadium last night. The Cityzens initially seemed poised for victory with an 85th-minute penalty converted by Khadija Shaw, but the visitors quickly equalized through Tara Elimbi Gilbert. This match marked Manchester City’s third consecutive draw in the ongoing UEFA Women’s Champions League.
In his post-match comments, Jeglertz reflected on the performance, emphasizing his frustration with the outcome.
“The performance was good,” Jeglertz remarked. “I think there are a lot of things in this game that we are pleased with; scoring chances, controlling the game.”
However, he noted, “The result is not what we wanted. It was frustrating to concede a goal that late. Maybe we should kill the game earlier, so we don’t end up like that because we have the momentum so many times in the second half where we have the ball in and around their box. Annoying is not the right word, but I think it’s a little bit of a feeling that we deserved more in the game. That’s how it is in the Champions League; if you dominate games and you don’t score, the opponent will take their chances and that’s what they do.”
Regarding the performance, Jeglertz described this match as the most complete display from his side in European competition thus far.
He stated, “I think the games have been very different. I think this is the best game over 90 minutes in the Champions League so far. The other games, we had a good second half against Bayern and Real Madrid. Now we have 90 minutes. I think in general, we had one period in the first half where we were a little bit under pressure, but otherwise it’s 90 minutes, that is the best one so far.”
He added, “It’s more about winning the games because they were happy coming here and getting a point, that was very clear, that was what they wanted.”
Jeglertz also addressed the difficulties in squad rotation due to the increased number of games this season compared to last year.
“I think this year is more challenging in our position because we are planning to play a lot of games,” Jeglertz explained. “What I could do last year was almost play the same line-up all of the time. That came earlier into relationships; it was easier to build relationships.”
He continued, “Our relationship will be perfect in spring, because that’s when everything is going to be finalized; when the league is going to be determined, the Champions League [final] is going to be, the FA Cup [final]. That’s when we’re going to be ready, which means that it takes a little bit longer time now. I can’t expect that the relationship is 100 percent now in October. I think it was easier last year since we didn’t rotate that much. I think it has to be like that because we are planning for going further in spring, so that’s the reason [for rotation and changes].”
Looking ahead, Manchester City will next face the London City Lionesses on Sunday afternoon in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
