Paco López: "We're going to have to do things very good in order to win"

C.D. Leganés head coach Paco López spoke this Friday in the press conference prior to the match that the pepinero team will play on Saturday (14:00) against Real Sociedad ‘B’ at Anoeta, corresponding to Matchday 13 of LALIGA HYPERMOTION.
The coach assessed the team’s situation before the match as follows:

Absences: "Franquesa is still in his recovery period, as well as Pulido and Duk, who is suspended. There are always minor issues and discomforts that keep us on alert until the last moment."
Feedback after the defeat: "We have done our own analysis, which stays between us."
Personal situation: "I live focused on the day‑to‑day, on improving, on making the team solid and competitive. That’s where we put our focus. Everyone who forms part of the club is rowing forward, pushing. We are all focused on work and improvement, with tremendous confidence that things will go well."
Mood: "The message continues to land—it’s about work, putting work above everything, insisting, improving. There’s no other way. If we only look at the final result, we’d be making a mistake, because there are always difficult moments. The week of training has been very good, and once again we have the excitement to compete tomorrow and take the three points."
Playing away: "The team is prepared to be solid, competitive, and have an identity regardless of the venue. That’s what we tell the players. We try to make it that way—it doesn’t matter where we play."
Rival with little rest: "Real Sociedad ‘B’ played midweek, but they have a squad capable of competing. They are one of the best home teams: young, dynamic, brave. We’re going to have to do things very well and show personality to win the match."
Strong opponent at home: "We have to be ourselves, show our stamp, have personality, do things as we’ve been doing away from home. Every match is different, opponents propose different things, but we must translate the good work from the week into tomorrow’s match."
Cissé: "It’s always good to have all the players available. His national team didn’t qualify for the World Cup and he has not been called up this time, which is good for us because he can have full training weeks."
Set pieces: "They’re always important. The other day we had several corners to take the lead, but we could do much more damage. On the first one they took, we had a lapse in marking and they scored. That’s football."
Possible pressure from being near the top: "We’ve already talked about it; we know where we are and how this world works. We fully understand everyone’s opinions, but inside, our duty as professionals is to improve every day. Nothing more. We know how football changes week to week, but we can’t deviate from that. Where we must feel like favourites is in working and being better each match. If we didn’t manage it in the last one, we’ll try in the next. The evaluations will come at the end."
Personal situation: "I’m fine, as always. I’ve been through this many times. I’ve been in this for many years, I’m still the same, and I’ve experienced this many times. My only mission is to work; I know how this world works. This has been one of the weeks with the most joy, from the level of demand, which never lacks in this team. We want the team to improve, but I’m a coach who enjoys his work."
Pressure affecting the team: "I don’t think so. We try to make sure it doesn’t happen, but players are human, they have emotions, and they receive a lot of information. My message to them has always been the same—never from the final result, always from what we did well, what we lacked, and what needs improvement. And that they enjoy and go motivated to every training session, within the demands. Each player is different; you can’t be inside everyone’s head, but we try to make sure it doesn’t affect them."
Objectives: "We know how this league is, the squads there are, how difficult everything is. I’m not talking about fifty points or promotion. The only thing I can talk about is the day‑to‑day and the next match. That’s what makes sense to me and what has given me success, more or less, throughout my career."
Communication with the club: "They haven’t given me any particular message; I still have the same perception that we’re working in the same direction. One thing is what can be perceived from the outside, and another is what we feel inside. We’re hurting and upset about not winning, but that’s one thing—and another thing entirely is whether we’re pushing together or not. Andrés is with us every day and we communicate a lot, and the same with everyone else. I don’t sense anything different. It’s one of this club’s strengths—everyone pushing in the same direction; that doesn’t happen everywhere. We must insist and persist in the work, because in the end it will turn out well."
Defensive absences: "We’re experiencing things like having both right‑backs injured, or the problems Franquesa is having to recover… But you can’t have three players in the same position—it wouldn’t be healthy for the dressing room. The squad is good; when the moment comes, it will be decided whether to do something or not, but I’m not even thinking about the winter window. We have versatile players who can play in several positions, and that gives any team an advantage. Every team has absences and must rely on players who aren’t specialists in that position. The important thing is to find balance, and in this team we have it."