Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Arturo Ruiz admitted that he was frustrated with his side’s slow start in their 3-2 defeat to Manchester City at the Joie Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Seagulls found themselves 3-0 down inside 18 minutes before goals from Olivia García and Caitlin Hayes pulled them back into the contest.
When speaking to the media after the match, Brighton & Hove Albion boss Ruiz felt that his side did not start the game with enough confidence or belief.
“That lack of confidence hurts me a lot because I feel a percent of responsibility,” Ruiz said. “I just want to speak with the girls and above everything, analyse with my staff, get the conclusions and get better to it.
“I have to say two very important things. One very important thing is the number of fans [that came] and how loud they were today. Thank you, you were absolutely amazing. Secondly, in the game, we were in a very difficult situation in the 18th minute, losing here 3-0, so keeping the game alive at 3-2 until the last minute is something that we need to value a lot. The girls did very well after that first 18 minutes.”
Despite conceding three goals, Ruiz was also full of praise for his centre-backs, particularly for how they competed against one of the world’s best in Khadija Shaw.
He said “The centre-backs play, I think that they did a great job to get her. It’s difficult to face that player, we know it and I think they did a great job. They managed very well tactically, technically and psychologically and that’s the key. I think that Bunny Shaw scored an incredible goal, but she wasn’t comfortable, that’s key when you face Manchester City and we did it.”
Lia Wälti was missing from the Brighton & Hove Albion squad due to an injury sustained on international duty. Ruiz provided an update on when he thinks she might be back.
He said “She came back injured from Switzerland, so we just need to take care of her. She is not available because of that reason, it was not a technical decision. We will find out more this week, but I don’t think it’s so [bad]. It was not the best thing that she wasn’t available, but I think that she will be available for next week.”
Brighton & Hove Albion return to action on Saturday when they play host to West Ham United.