Espanyol boss Manolo Gonzalez confident ahead of Barcelona clash: ‘We can beat anybody’
Speaking ahead of the upcoming Catalan derby, Espanyol manager Manolo Gonzalez set the tone by stressing the emotional weight of the fixture while making it clear that his side believe they can cause ...
Espanyol boss Manolo Gonzalez confident ahead of Barcelona clash: ‘We can beat anybody’ Speaking ahead of the upcoming Catalan derby , Espanyol manager Manolo Gonzalez set the tone by stressing the emotional weight of the fixture while making it clear that his side believe they can cause an upset. The Espanyol boss first emphasised what the derby means to the club and its supporters. “We consider this match important because it’s a derby, because they are our eternal rivals, and because we are convinced we can win.
“I’m focused on what we want. What they think doesn’t worry me too much,” he began saying. A wounded Barcelona Barcelona come into this match on the back of a 0-2 defeat against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, leading to suggestions they could be vulnerable.
Gonzalez, however, dismissed that story, stating that he expects the same intensity as always. “When the match kicks off, they will go all out, just as they always have against Espanyol. They’ll be out to win, not to play it safe.
“They will try to hurt us if they can. We need to focus on putting in a good performance. We’ve lost to them three times since I’ve been here, and on two of those occasions, we were close.