Manolo González stood before the cameras on Monday and dismissed talk of the Levante match being a do-or-die moment, saying bluntly that a victory "would give us stability and a leap up in the table." The coach set the tone for RCD Espanyol's immediate response after a painful defeat at Vallecas on Thursday.
González did not soften the error: he said the loss in Vallecas had made him angry and that the team left the pitch "feeling down about things. The end of the game was very cruel, and we didn't deserve that." He also told reporters, "I remain just as strong and convinced that we will achieve our objective as always. I've been crystal clear about that from day one. The other day we finished the match feeling down about things. The end of the game was very cruel, and we didn't deserve that. The good thing is that we play tomorrow, and the team are eager for the game to arrive."
Those comments carried weight because González tied the immediate result to league momentum: a win on Monday, he said, "would give us stability and a leap up in the table." He also stressed that the dressing-room mood after the Rayo defeat was not one of fear but of combustible emotion. "After the defeat against Rayo, I didn't see faces of fear in the dressing room, but rather those of frustration, anger, and rage. The team want to win again and be where we deserve to be. We were very upset about what happened, but we also know that if we play at our best, we are capable of beating anyone."
Context: Espanyol meet Levante UD in La Liga on Monday, the next fixture after Thursday's reverse at Vallecas, and González repeatedly framed the match as a chance to steady the season. He called the second half of the campaign "strange and unprecedented," noting that "the team have competed in every match, except for two. We've deserved more points than we have now." Local coverage of the fixture is gathered at Rcd Espanyol - Levante: La Liga jornada 32 closes at RCDE Stadium —
The tension in González's remarks comes where a coach rarely wants it: between downplaying panic and acknowledging that results have not matched effort. He insisted his own future was not the point—"my personal situation is the least of my worries. What I want is for the team to win. The club is bigger than me -and bigger than everyone else. I'm not narcissistic. What I want is for the fans to enjoy a victory tomorrow."—but that line also underlines an unspoken question about stability that follows any string of poor results.
González pressed another practical theme: the need for character and tactical discipline against a mobile opponent. "We need to show character against a team that move around the pitch well. It's important for us to be well-positioned and understand the game against them. If we can do that, we'll get closer to winning," he said, warning that effort alone is not enough unless it is matched by positioning and understanding.
He finished by calling on supporters to supply the missing edge. "The fans will be with us, as they always are. The noise from the stands will push the team forward. It's time for us all to pull together, fight, and get through this," González said, urging unity for Monday's kickoff. For espanyol, whatever happens at the RCDE Stadium on Monday will be measured less as a season-defining collapse or salvation and more as the first clear answer to whether the squad can turn competitive performances into the points their coach says they deserve.
