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González: "We believe we are capable of winning in Vallecas"

The coach sets out his target for the game against Rayo Vallecano

RCD Espanyol are entrusted with getting Matchday 30 of LaLiga EA Sports underway on Friday night, as they take on Rayo Vallecano away from home. Before the fixture, coach Manolo González talked to the press to analyse the encounter.

“Rayo seem to me to be a team built with a lot of thought behind them, and the judgment of what the coach wants. They've been consistent with that, and the players are very much in line with what Andoni Iraola and now Iñigo Pérez have asked for. They have a lot of talent and play very well. It's hard to attack against them, but we have prepared for the game well and we believe we are capable of winning in Vallecas,” explained González.

"We have been making progress, but we still struggle to create goalscoring chances. We're competing better, but we have to take a step forward in the final metres, because we can compete at a good level at any ground.”

He also pointed out that he doesn't like “depending on the opponents, because that will take its toll. We have to focus on winning and scoring points.”

"We are at a key moment of the season, because the games are now really starting to become 'finals.' This is the moment when everything is decided, but we're in a good position and we're convinced we can achieve our objective. We have to 'scrape' points from every game.”

"I regret the points that we missed out on, which could have given us a significant cushion. Not losing helps you score points, but we have to go after the three points,” he insisted.

Finally, regarding the refereeing controversy that has surrounded the team in recent weeks, he reiterated that “we have to keep a cool head and stay focused on the game. If we focus on those other things, we'll end up paying for it on the pitch. We have to be mature and capable of handling all of that.”