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González: "Our goal is to get 9 points from 9"

The coach's press conference before RCD Espanyol's game against Rayo Vallecano

Manolo González was back in the press conference room at the RCDE Stadium on Monday, previewing RCD Espanyol's midweek game against Rayo Vallecano.

"It’s not normal to have to play three games in six days when we haven't even reached October yet," he told journalists, and expressed his opinion that "We have a lot of improving to do if we want to be a competitive team. We still have a long way to go."

He noted that "winning three games in a row is very difficult, especially with two of them being away from home, but our goal is to get 9 points from 9. That's our ambition. Right now, we aren't looking beyond tomorrow's game, and then the match against Elche. It will be extremely tough, but we have to give it our all."

The coach insisted it will be an "extremely tough" match, regardless of the fact that the fixture is being played at Butarque rather than Vallecas due to an administrative problem with Rayo's stadium.

"When I look at Rayo's stats, I realise the high level they play at and the level we need to reach to compete against them. We must stay calm in possession and avoid conceding counter-attacks. It will be important to match their tempo throughout the 90 minutes," he underlined.

For González, Rayo "are a team to be reckoned with. Their points tally is deceptive; they played very well against both Real Madrid and Barcelona. We’ll need to be fully focused on the game, because if we give them chances, we’ll suffer."

Regarding specific players' potential to feature in the squad, the coach ruled out Jofre "because he’s carrying a minor knock," stated that the high level Roberto is maintaining "is his true potential, though if he goes two games without scoring, people will say he’s in poor form," and supported Bryan Zaragoza as he "gradually finds his best form. We have to do things sensibly with him."