Manchester City manager Enzo Mareska is adamant his side deserved more from their 2-1 loss to Aston Villa. Following the final whistle, he shared his thoughts with BBC Match of the Day.
"It was a good game and a good performance, but unfortunately we lost. I think we did enough to achieve more. We are learning from this and moving forward,” said Mareska.
The manager explained that his team initially struggled to adapt to Villa’s tactics, particularly in the early stages of the match.
"The first 10-15 minutes were tough for us because we expected one style of play from them, but they played differently. After that, we adapted and started to control the game,” he explained.
Mareska discusses halftime substitutions
Mareska also addressed his decision to make changes during the interval, noting that both players substituted were at risk of being sent off due to yellow cards.
"Both had yellow cards. In such a noisy atmosphere, it’s sometimes better to avoid the risk. Overall, I think we did enough to get a result from this game,” said Mareska.
Manchester City failed to take their chances
The City boss believes that once his team scored, they had the match under control and should have created enough chances to alter the outcome.
"When we scored, I felt that we controlled the game. In fact, that continued for most of the match. We created many chances, but unfortunately, we didn’t convert them,” noted Mareska.
He acknowledged that a key moment in the match came during a swift Aston Villa counter-attack in the second half.
"In the second half, we conceded from a quick counter. They were very efficient because they managed to score. We were a bit unlucky, but we need to learn from this,” added the manager.
In closing, Mareska reiterated his belief that the final result was unfair to his team.
"I haven’t been here long, but today I feel we deserved more,” he concluded.
