RCD Espanyol coach Manolo González insisted his side remain confident as they prepare to travel to Seville to face Real Betis this Saturday, even as the team tries to arrest its poorest run of results this season. Speaking to the media after the international break, González said the dressing room has been working hard to recapture the form that carried them through the first half of the LaLiga campaign.
“We're coming off a bad run, which is something that we can't ignore, but in all of these games we've only really been outplayed by Atletico Madrid and Villarreal,” González said, stressing that the underlying performances have often been positive. He added that his immediate focus has been practical: “I've focused on giving the players the tools they need to develop to their full potential. We can't afford to make mistakes that will cost us dearly.”
Espanyol will play at Estadio de La Cartuja on Saturday, and González made clear he expects a difficult game against a Betis side also struggling for results. “Betis will also be coming out to win. They're on a run of five games without a victory, and I'm sure they'll field their best side. We're feeling confident,” he said, calling on his players to be more clinical in decisive moments.
Frustration is evident at the club, González admitted, noting the gap between performance and outcome: “We're not where we were in December. We can see that we're doing things better than our opponents, but it's not been enough to win games. This week we've worked incredibly hard to win tomorrow at La Cartuja. I can't fault anything about the team. Their attitude is tremendous. That's what I demand of them.” He urged the side to control game situations that have previously punished them.
González referenced the old-school mentality of former Spain coach Luis Aragonés to underline the simplicity of his message: “As Luis Aragonés used to say, 'you have to win, win, and win.' We've had games this season where we didn't deserve to win, and we still did so. Other times, even if you're better than your opponents, you don't win.” The coach’s comments indicate a desire for consistency between performance and result as Espanyol seeks to halt their slide.
With the international break concluded, training this week has focused on match preparation and mental sharpness rather than wholesale tactical changes, according to González. The outcome in Seville will be seen as a test of whether the team’s recent work in training translates into the kind of decisive, error-free performances he demands.