Manolo González will remain in charge of RCD Espanyol for the upcoming trip to La Rosaleda. Sporting director Monchi has decided to keep faith with the head coach following internal discussions about the bench's future, despite a poor run of form. The team lost 1-3 to Elche at the RCDE Stadium on 18 September, a result that leaves the Periquitos 15th in La Liga with seven points from a possible twenty-one.
Monchi's decision
The defeat to Elche, which followed a 2-1 loss at Butarque three days earlier, sparked intense debate. Monchi received offers from several coaches during the three-week international break but considers the tally of seven points insufficient grounds for dismissal. The sporting director had already backed González a few weeks ago and is now betting on him again to fix the mistakes. The next twenty-one days, leading up to the 9 October match against bottom side Málaga, will be key to try and turn things around. Espanyol has been below 450 goal minutes in its recent matches, a statistic that must improve.
The coach's words
After the latest setback, Manolo González was highly self-critical. "It's the worst match since I've been at Espanyol," he admitted. "We are making a mistake somewhere, but I more or less know where the shots might be coming from." The coach thus acknowledged the errors in a match where Elche scored twice in three minutes through Fernando Niño, before Víctor Chust scored an own goal and Germán Valera sealed the rout. The team has lost its last two matches and its form over the last five games reads one win, one draw and three losses.
Espanyol, who have scored ten goals and conceded ten this season, trained on Monday at the Dani Jarque facilities before a six-day break. The squad will look to rebuild confidence ahead of a vital clash at La Rosaleda against a Málaga side sitting at the foot of the table. Fans can check the full schedule and the team's progress in the league standings. Top scorer Roberto Fernández, with six goals, will be a key figure in this attempted revival. The team needs to improve its record of 0.33 points per game to move away from the lower reaches of the table.
The original report is at Sport.es
