Manolo González will lead Espanyol in the Copa del Rey

Manolo González led Espanyol’s training on Sunday morning and will be in charge on Tuesday against Sestao River in the first round of the Copa del Rey Mapfre. The decision comes after another league defeat left the club in the relegation places. Barring a collapse, González could also remain in the job through Friday’s trip to La Cerámica.

Espanyol lost 2-1 at Santander, while Elche beat Rayo 3-0. The defeat was Espanyol’s fourth in its last five matches: the club has taken just one point from a possible 15 in that run. Mundo Deportivo notes that, combined with an 18-match winless run last season, the record stands at four wins in 31 matches in 2026. The sequence has further put González’s position under pressure.

The result in Santander came amid a close league-table contest. Santander sit 13th on 11 points after ten matches, one point ahead of 15th-placed Elche on 10. Santander have three wins, two draws and five defeats, while Elche have two wins, four draws and four defeats. Across their last five league matches, Santander have won once, drawn once and lost three times; Elche have two wins, two draws and one defeat.

After the match at El Sardinero, González described a team losing confidence: “The feeling is that you make yourself small, I don’t know why. We haven’t even changed the system; we’ve stopped pressing the build-up, I don’t know why.” Asked about his position, he left the decision to the club: “Whatever decision it takes, it has the right to do so. It doesn’t depend on me alone.”

On the previous Sunday, Manolo González was already facing a decisive week for his future and lost his first match point. He now has two challenges ahead. The assessment reported is that a cup win and avoiding defeat against Villarreal, with Carlos Romero and Gerard Moreno, would be needed to prevent a change in the dugout. González will speak to the media on Monday from 12:00.