We will run like animals’: Espanyol coach ready to tackle Barcelona’s offside trap

This Sunday, Barcelona will face Espanyol in another Catalan derby. Hansi Flick’s squad is in excellent shape, having recently won against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Espanyol’s head coach, Manolo Gonzalez, remains unfazed by Barcelona’s current momentum. He believes his team can effectively navigate their opponents’ offside traps.

“The key is to position players correctly for a final pass. Our game plan focuses on that. Breaking the offside often requires running in a specific way to avoid being caught,” he explained. “Defending this way leaves you vulnerable to goals, which is risky. It’s a gamble. They have strong finishers who can take advantage of that.”

“We will give our all, work tirelessly, and push ourselves to counter their strengths. While Barcelona has many strong qualities, they also have weaknesses,” he added.

He also noted that the last time Barcelona lost to Espanyol in La Liga, Lamine Yamal was still just learning to walk.