Manchester City head coach Andrée Jeglertz was left with mixed feelings after watching his side’s 3-2 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at The Joie Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Cityzens raced into a 3-0 lead inside 18 minutes thanks to a brace from Khadija Shaw and Niamh Charles’ first goal for the club, but they let Brighton & Hove Albion back into the game with two quick-fire goals.
When speaking to the media after the match, Jeglertz admitted that he was pleased with the start, but felt that there were learnings to be taken from what happened before half-time.
“It was a great start of the game,” Jeglertz said. “We mentioned that we have struggled a little bit in terms of getting front-footed, but I think we did that today, we started very well.
“I don’t think that the players became a little bit more comfortable on purpose, but as a team, we maybe did that; not the same speed on the passes, not supporting each other the same way like we did in the beginning, maybe we didn’t break the line the same way as we did in the beginning. It’s almost like we let them in by dropping our levels a couple of percent and then they scored two goals which I think is a little bit unnecessary. I don’t think we needed that, but on the other hand, the learning from that is that if you drop a couple of percent in this league, the teams are good enough to punish you.”
Jeglertz commented further on the need to keep switched on, although he was pleased with how his side came out in the second half.
He said “I was a little bit annoyed [with the two goals], but there was no yelling because the players aren’t choosing to not do everything to 100%. It’s almost like it comes a little bit automatic. It’s was more like a reminder that we need to go back to good habits, do the things that we did in the beginning, do everything to 100%, do everything to fulfil the game plan.
“I think we should probably score some [more] goals, but how we manage the game, the calmness, composure of the voice, amazing in the second half.”
Midfielder Grace Clinton started the game after a tough period out with an injury. Jeglertz shared his thoughts on the midfielder.
He said “Grace has had a tough start of the season since her injury. She then came back and has really had an effect on our game. She definitely deserved to get a start in this game. It took some time for her to find the right position, but when she’s getting time on the ball, when she’s fast on the ball, she’s definitely contributing to a lot of things for us.”
Manchester City are next in action on Sunday when they travel to neighbours Manchester United.