Facing the media after his side’s first game in this year’s UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage, Real Madrid manager Alberto Toril seemed much happier than his Chelsea counterpart. Despite a disappointing 3-2 defeat in the heavy rain at Stamford Bridge, las Blancas repeatedly fought back from behind and looked at points as though they may snatch a late equaliser.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Toril was keen to emphasise the positives in their performance and the ways in which they are growing as a club.
What did Alberto Toril say?
“I feel as though we left a good image of ourselves here, I’m really happy with the work we put in. It was a very competitive game, both sides put in competitive performances. I think that we’ve proved that we’re growing as a team. In comparison to previous games, we’re getting closer and closer and this is the closest we’ve got to a result against this side. The match was decided on small details, obviously, it didn’t help with an own goal and penalty. I felt like we were in the game from the first whistle.”
Linda Caicedo, the young Colombian international, was absent from the starting lineup however came on early in the second half to make a significant impact off the bench. Her talents are widely known across Europe and despite having a slow start to her campaign after a summer spent with the national team, she remains an important part of the squad.
Embed from Getty Images“She’s going to feature a lot and bring a lot to this team. She joined up with the squad quite late due to her involvement in the U20s World Cup, but she’s really talented and creates havoc down that side. We’re excited to have her in our ranks,” Toril confirmed.
Caroline Weir’s return to England was bound to draw attention as the Scottish international played a different role than usual, starting up front with Athenea del Castillo and Alba Redondo either side of her. After missing last season with an ACL injury, Toril was very happy to have her back in these big games.
“She’s a great player who has been out of the game through injury for a year so she needs time and patience to be performance at her best level. When she’s on form and fully fit, she’s absolutely vital to our style of play and when you look back at her input and what she’s brought to this side in previous seasons you can see how that is true.”
This is the third season in a row that Real Madrid and Chelsea have faced each other in the Champions League group stage, but the first time with Sonia Bonpastor as the opposition manager, and Toril predicted an exciting future for Chelsea under her.
“Sonia’s a fantastic coach, she’s proved it with what she achieved with Lyon. I think she needs time for Chelsea to play the style of play that she wants, but when it comes down to those big nights in finals and semi finals, she will really prove her worth at Chelsea.”