Monchi arrival lifts Espanyol morale before Rcd Espanyol - Athletic
Javi Chica said Monchi’s arrival has lifted the mood around Espanyol ahead of rcd espanyol - athletic, and he tied that lift to a club still fighting through a delicate stretch. He also said Espanyol depends on itself in the standings, with the priority now to win its own matches.
Chica on Monchi and Manolo González
“su trayectoria en el Sevilla habla por sí sola; sentí ilusión al ver su imagen en el palco y tener a una figura de su talla en el vestuario, hablando con los jugadores y con Manolo González, es una noticia que levanta la moral de todo el entorno espanyolista,” Chica said in an interview on Pericos in Radio Marca. The message was direct: Monchi’s arrival as the new sporting director has already changed the atmosphere inside the club.
Chica framed that change alongside the pressure around the first team. Espanyol is in a restructuring process, and he said the club is in an anxiety-filled moment where the squad must lean on its own results rather than wait on anyone else.
Juvenil B and six years away
His comments came after a successful spell with Espanyol’s Juvenil B team, which secured salvation after taking 13 of 15 possible points in the final stretch of the season. Chica said he returned to the club when Espanyol contacted him for help because of his knowledge of the house and the category, and he accepted because he wanted to see how far he could go with young players who were suffering mentally.
He also said he felt respected after his six previous years of work at the club, and that time away helped him think, train and come back stronger. “Espero tener continuidad dentro del proceso de reestructuración que vive la entidad porque siento que este es mi sitio,” he said, closing the loop on a return he sees as more than temporary.
RCDE Stadium pressure
Chica linked Espanyol’s survival fight to the RCDE Stadium, where he said support from the stands is key to winning at home. He pointed to the Oviedo match and the playoff for promotion as examples of how the crowd can push results when the pressure rises.
He also singled out Pol Lozano, saying he has race, courage and Perico feeling, and added that the midfielder should keep growing with humility because his season can serve as a mirror for younger players. That fits the message Chica keeps returning to: Espanyol must focus on winning its own games so the teams below are the ones chasing results.
For Espanyol, the immediate task is clear. Monchi’s arrival has lifted morale, but the standings still reward only points, and Chica’s line about depending on themselves leaves no room for drift.
