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González: "This game could be crucial"
The RCD Espanyol coach looks at the game against Rayo Vallecano
The LaLiga season is entering its final phase, and a new opportunity for Espanyol to get back on track presents itself on Thursday night against Rayo Vallecano.
Coach Manolo González spoke ahead of the game in his pre-match press conference.
“All the remaining matches are very important, but we have to focus on the first one up, because it could be crucial. If we win, we could be virtually safe and could start thinking about other things. It's a tough fixture, but we're going to fight from the first minute onwards.”
The coach emphasised that, above all, the dressing room is “eager to win. We’re an honest team and the players are frustrated with how things have gone after the first half of the season we had. I think we're prepared, and tomorrow is a match where we need to know how we should play. We want to get a win as soon as possible and then look at what objectives we can set for ourselves until the end of the campaign.”
“I won't settle for a draw. I'll only take a win. If the game goes normally, I'd never settle for a draw, but we have to see how it unfolds.”
He is currently focused on securing RCD Espanyol’s place in LaLiga well before the end of the season.
“We had an exceptional game at Vallecas last season, but it’s not the same situation now. We'll have another demanding and high-tempo game against a team who are one of LaLiga's top sides.”
González lamented that "our current situation isn't what it was 10 games ago, but even if we win tomorrow, we won't be the Brazil of the 1970s, and if we lose, we won't be useless. Despite us not winning for a while, the team have always competed, except for a few specific matches. We’re in good shape, even though the results haven't been good, but we're convinced we'll win tomorrow."