Rubén Albés: “We were hopeful, but it wasn't meant to be. Now we have to respond in the best way possible”

C.D. Leganés head coach Rubén Albés held a press conference following Monday’s match between the Pepineros and C.D. Castellón at Ontime Butarque Stadium, part of Matchday 7 of LALIGA HYPERMOTION 2026/27, which ended in a 0-2 loss.

The Blue-and-White coach assessed the match as follows:

Match Assessment: “We started off well—pretty well, actually. We conceded a goal and lacked emotional stability. 

We conceded the second goal on an isolated play; we pushed hard, but to beat Castellón—which is the best team in the league—you need to be clinical, and today we weren’t clinical in the box, and that’s where we were worse than them.”

Emotional Management: “It’s all about emotions in the game. A goal where we made a mistake sows doubt in us. We were playing well with Luca, steering the game where we wanted it to go, and from there we shrunk a bit and lacked personality on the ball. When you have the will to go after them, they play very well—they have personality on the ball. After the 0-2, we improved, but not enough to turn the game around.”

Morata: “He’s adapted incredibly well and has been through a lot. He’s going to be important and score goals for Leganés—I have no doubt.”

Test: “They’ve had a year and a half to develop with a roster featuring many returning players. We’re a team that’s still coming together, and there are situations they currently handle better than we do. We have room for improvement, and we’re going to improve a lot. The challenge is to be a better team when we go to Castalia.“

Fatigue: ”We’re most weakened on the wings, and those are some of the most important positions for us. We’re using Dani there, but he’s not a natural for that position. Having three players out at that position makes it difficult for us in those situations. 

It was a fast-paced game; there were chances for both teams—it was an open match—and that takes its toll. Where we have the most options is on offense, and that’s where we’ve tried to bring in fresh legs.“

Penalties: ”We have a list of starting penalty takers, and Álex wasn’t on it because he didn’t start the game. And then there are the players’ own decisions. It was the first penalty today; he was feeling confident, and it’s a shame he didn’t convert it.”

The strikers’ lack of goals: “One thing is crystal clear to me: when I have confidence, I have confidence. Not just on a good day and not on a bad one. I trust my strikers, and I’m convinced they’ll score goals. Today I’m disappointed because we were really looking forward to this match. I see the fans are excited, and I wanted today to be a good game, but this is soccer, and what makes the difference is how we respond after a setback. It’s soccer, and you can lose—because they’re the best team in the league. But we had that excitement; the fans were really into it from the very first minute, and we wanted to give them that, but it wasn’t meant to be. Now we have to respond to the loss in the best way possible.”