Rubén Albés: “We're going to give it our all to make up for it”

C.D. Leganés head coach Rubén Albés held a press conference ahead of the match the Pepineros will play this Saturday (6:30 p.m.) at the JP Financial Stadium against Cádiz C.F., as part of Matchday 8 of LALIGA HYPERMOTION 2026/27.

The Blue-and-White coach offered the following assessment of the team’s current situation ahead of the match:

Absences: “We’ve got Gharbi back—he’s returning from national team duty—and Franquesa.”

Importance of the match: “Our goal is to extend our winning streak by picking up points, and when we don’t, we have to put together another great performance and be in a position to win.”

Cádiz: “They have a strong roster with good players who have shown steady improvement in recent weeks. We have many concerns, but we’re focusing on ourselves. We have plenty of room for improvement, and our priority is to get better. They’re on an upward trajectory week after week; their home field is intense and demanding. It’ll be a high-stakes match.”

Mental State: “We’ve discussed this. 

You have to experience things and analyze them from the outside. It feels different from the field. We try to show them when we played well and when we didn’t play as well—because we rushed things or tried too hard to be perfect. We had some really good moments where we were better than Castellón, but we weren’t able to score.”

Midfield: “I’m calm about the demands placed on us. 

We have options, different player types, and variations to unsettle the opponent. We try to use one player or another depending on what we think the opponent will bring. And we also have options when it comes to making substitutions."

Gharbi: “Physically, he’s fine; he’s had a bit of the flu and didn’t finish yesterday’s session. We’ll see how he progresses.”

Tejero: “He’s getting better every day. He’s important to us; he brings a lot to the table. He’s been out for a long time and needs to regain confidence in his ankle. With every practice, he’s getting closer to the Tejero we’ve seen and the one we’ll see in the future. We’ll see if he can start, come off the bench, or not.”

Return to Cádiz: “We have to avoid getting stuck in the past. It’s a learning experience, but we can’t live in fear of what happened. It’s a new game, with two different teams. We want to win for ourselves, for our fans, for our hard work, and because we’re coming off a disappointing week after losing to Castellón.”

Raúl Fernández: “I haven’t spoken with him. He’s a magnificent professional and goalkeeper; he trains at an extremely high level and is always an option. 

But if we’re talking about Luca, it’s the same. He’s a top-notch professional, loves to train, is consistent, and has put in some great performances. The unfortunate thing is that they can’t both play.”

Sancris: “We’re trying to help him improve defensively and find a better balance. But we can’t forget everything he brings to the offense. The players we have sometimes contribute more offensively than defensively. We’re playing with two wingers on the flanks, and they create more danger for us than if they were fullbacks. We didn’t have any alternatives until now, and now we have the option to make one wing more defensive than the other. We’ve been doing this since preseason, but circumstances haven’t allowed us to do so in recent weeks.”

Sule: “Everyone is in contention for a starting spot, except Franquesa. Some more so than others, and in certain positions we make decisions based on what I feel is best for that particular game. The important thing is that making these substitutions allows us to improve what’s happening on the field, and that makes me very happy. We’re making substitutions at the 55-minute mark, at the 60-minute mark—and that’s the right time.”

Unax: “He’s playing above the level you’d expect given his physical build. He’s only had five training sessions, but he’s confident, plays at a high level, and scores goals. He’s probably not at his best yet, but his level of play makes him an option for us.”

Mental Recovery: “There’s no room for the weak in soccer; there’s no time to lick your wounds or fall into a soccer slump. And that’s what I told them. We did a lot of things right against Castellón, especially early on, and the frustration is greater than when you feel outmatched. When you feel so close and still can’t pull it off, it weighs on you more emotionally. Losing is part of the nature of the league, but now comes our response. We’ve moved past the post-match disappointment, and a new week begins—a new opportunity to earn three points, which are just as valuable as they were against Castellón. 

We can’t confuse a loss with being in bad shape. When you play respectable, competitive matches—as we did—you’re closer to winning. And if a loss affects us too much, we won’t be a good team.“

Effectiveness: ”There aren’t enough data points for it to be relevant. Too many factors come into play with such a small sample size. Once we’ve played a third of the season, we can start talking about these things. 

We’re in the process of getting everything back to normal and seeing where we’re headed.”

Learning from Defeat: “It depends on how we respond. My job is to make sure we respond well—hopefully this week. That’s what maturity and being a good team are all about. We talk about our mistakes even when we win. Improvement doesn’t come only after a loss; we try to improve in both scenarios.”

Franquesa: “Initially, I think I see him more on the left, but we’ll have to wait and see. Physically, he’s in good shape; he needs to build confidence after two months off, since he’s had very few training sessions. He’s the player I most enjoy watching in the mornings. He has an incredible attitude, brings energy—it’s a pleasure to watch him. Just like Dani Rodríguez. They’re players who make a difference both on and off the field, and there are several others like them.”

A key match to break the streak: “They’re all important, and so is this one. It’s a Matchday 8 game, which is important, but it’s still just a soccer match. We’re going to give it our all to make up for the last loss.”

Cádiz winless: “I don’t buy into that. I believe in each individual match. We’re getting closer to a win. Statistics are pure fiction—depending on how you interpret them, you can draw positive or negative conclusions. The feeling from the other day was positive despite the result. That should give us confidence, knowing that every match presents a different challenge, and we have to be prepared to overcome them all.”