Club captain Reece James also addressed the fallout from the defeat, acknowledging that the team’s inability to keep 11 players on the pitch is a significant hurdle. While the Blues showed flashes of quality, particularly through James' dangerous set-piece deliveries, the numerical deficit made the closing stages an uphill battle. The skipper admitted that the frequency of these incidents is a major concern that needs to be addressed behind closed doors immediately.
James explained the situation honestly to Sky Sports: "We’ve spoken about it, it’s come up a number of times, every time it’s someone different, not the same player. Internally we need to review and keep improving. It’s a problem, we are playing in the toughest league in the world, you play against top or bottom 11 v 11 it’s tough, 11 v 10 is even harder no matter who you are playing. I have no doubt in the team and staff, it didn’t go our way today but we need to regroup and go again."