Football News
Spanish clubs better than English says Villarreal defender
Villarreal defender Gonzalo Rodriguez believes Cristiano Ronaldo will fail to have the same impact in the Champions League this season and that Spanish teams are far stronger than English sides. Manchester United were disappointed to only come away with a 0-0 draw in their opening game at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.United were boosted by the return of Ronaldo, but not even the Portuguese midfielder could inspire the defending champions to an opening victory.
Rodriguez believes Villarreal and other teams know how to contain the threat of Ronaldo and that sides from La Liga have more quality this season to challenge for major silverware.
Rodriguez said: "Cristiano Ronaldo is not a machine. He did not create too many chances at Old Trafford because we marked him really well.
"I believe a draw was a fair result. I admit the Premier League has a lot of stars and a lot of big clubs but I still feel the Spanish League is the best in the world and these games in the Champions League have shown that.
"Villarreal worked so hard against Manchester United and we came away with a great result.
"To stop Manchester United you must control players such as Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney. If we give them the ball and allow them time to play against us they can cause so many problems.
"The group is very even and will stay that way all the way through. There will be no easy games and the key for us will be winning at home"