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González: "We are a team that cannot afford to be off our game"

The coach's pre-match press conference

RCD Espanyol return to action with a quick turnaround this week, taking on Elche at the RCDE Stadium on Friday night. Before the game, coach Manolo González talked to the media.

“We are a team that cannot afford to be off our game. To secure the three points, we need to be at our best. We need to aim for the kind of performance we saw in the second half the other day -and in Pamplona against Osasuna- finding the balance that has sometimes eluded us when starting matches,” said González.

Acknowledging a positive aspect, he stated that “we can take away the team’s ability to react. That reaction came through our style of play, not by simply launching long balls or packing the box with players -tactics that don't always create genuine danger. We need to learn from matches like the one away to Alavés last year, for instance. We had a terrible first half, went into the break trailing, and then spent the entire second period in the opposition's half. We cannot go into this competition without being fully focused or by making glaring errors, as happened the other day. When you make that many mistakes, you pay the price. That said, the dressing room mood is good and the group remain strong, though the players are frustrated by the showing we gave in the first half the other day -myself included. We need to be self-critical, and we are. But tomorrow, we have to go out there, prove we are a good team, and win the match.”

González insisted that the team are "fully capable of creating chances. We create opportunities, just like we did the other day and in Pamplona. We found it a bit harder against Sevilla, but I believe we are in better shape at this stage of the season compared to previous years."

Regarding the opposition he pointed out that Elche “have some very strong qualities. They are a team that nearly overturned a 3–0 deficit against Racing and managed to come back to pull level at 2–2 against Real Madrid the other day, even though they ultimately conceded the winner in stoppage time. It’s going to be a tough game, so we need to stay focused, be fully switched on in the game, and perform well if we want to win.”