Espanyol’s recent upturn in La Liga arrived as a lifeboat in rocky waters. Against the backdrop of fan unrest and financial instability, los Periquitos finished 2024 with a loss away in the Canary Islands. This left them drifting away in the relegation zone, after winning only two of the last ten league games of the year. To make things worse, Espanyol crashed out of the Copa del Rey with a dismal 2-0 loss away at lower league Barbastro.
The new year heralded a new start for Manolo Gonzalez’s side, only losing a single game away to Real Sociedad in 2025 with wins coming against both relegation rivals Alaves and the champions from Madrid. Approaching the end of his first year with the club, the Espanyol manager told the press that a win in Monday’s fixture away at Villareal could provide a massive boost to their season and that he would like to spend many more years with the club.
On winning in Villareal
“It would be a significant boost, as they are a great team and very strong on home turf. We’ll need to show great resilience and give it our all. We have to play at 120% and leave everything on the pitch. A win would give us a massive boost.”
On reaching a year at Espanyol
“Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined managing Espanyol. Even staying for a year is something that isn’t easy. I hope I can stay for many more years. It has all gone by so quickly. A lot of the time, I don’t even notice, but I’m very proud, and I hope I can remain here for many more years. I want to thank the fans, the club, and the players.“
Strength in depth
After adding Ramon Pablo, Fernandez Jaen Roberto and Gonzalez Urko to his ranks in the January window, Gonzalez is satisfied with the depth of his squad. He told the press: “All of the players are capable. We’ve improved in this aspect compared to the first half of the season. We’re very happy. The starting eleven is very important, but so is the eleven that finishes the match. It’s a luxury to have the standard the players are training at today.”
Villareal are flying high in La Liga, unbeaten in the last six games and pushing for a European spot. This shows Monday’s fixture is a tough ask for Espanyol but the team’s recent resurgence offers justification for confidence. With dry land on the horizon, a win against the Yellow Submarine would be a lighthouse for the blue and white lifeboat sailing back to shore.
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