Josep Gombau was left with mixed emotions after Aston Villa exited the UEFA Youth League at the hands of Barcelona, with a 3-1 defeat at Villa Park on Tuesday afternoon.
After falling two goals down in the opening period of the round of 16 clash, the Young Lions responded after the break, halving the deficit thanks to captain Aidan Borland’s penalty, before conceding again late on.
Despite a difficult start, Gombau was pleased with his side’s response, and praised the players’ bravery after the break.
“It’s hard,” Villa’s Under-21 Head Coach said.
“It was a game in the first half we suffered a lot. We conceded two goals and Barcelona had control of the first half. We discussed at half-time that in the first half, we really weren’t us.
“We had moments to play the ball, and we were scared. This was the message: ‘don’t be afraid or scared, just play’.
“In the second half, we put our intensity, and we pressed higher, sometimes man to man. It was a very good reaction in the second half. We scored a goal, we had also some momentum. We were very close to scoring the second goal. We had a couple of chances.
“We showed the way that we can do it, and I think that the boys did well. The second half, we were brave, we had the ball, and we played in their half of the pitch. We had the goal, plus some chances.
“In the end, we conceded the third goal and, in that moment, it was very difficult for us.”
The match also offered Gombau the chance to reflect on the campaign as a whole, which saw Villa reach the second knockout stage in their very first participation in the competition.
The Spaniard believes his team is progressing well, and that the players will benefit from the challenges the UEFA Youth League has presented them with.
He added: “It’s a very good experience. I think that we are not that far away to compete against these teams.
“We did quite well. The second half, we had our moments, and we were on top of them.
“These are small margins that they are between the two teams. This needs to be a good point to us to try to improve, to be better, to work hard, and to play these kinds of games always helps.
“It’s football. It’s a good learning lesson for all of us, and the players for sure will be better after playing these kinds of games.”
