Luis Carrión: “I'm really excited to be here”

C.D. Leganés introduced Luis Carrión as the team’s new head coach on Monday. The Barcelona-born coach, who will remain with the club through the end of the season, expressed his excitement about the new chapter he is beginning on the blue-and-white bench.

C.D. Leganés president, Eduardo Cosín, opened the ceremony with the following words: “I wanted to start by saying a few words to Rubén Albés and his coaching staff to thank them for their work and professionalism. Things haven’t gone as we hoped, but that doesn’t diminish the respect we have for them. I’d sum it up as an identity crisis that has led to a crisis in results. We saw that the team was straying from the style of play we wanted. The club has made a significant effort to build a roster that we believe has a lot of potential, and with this change, we wanted to bring in someone who is aligned with that philosophy and fits the style of play we had envisioned. We believe Luis fits that model; we’ve known each other for a long time, he knows our roster, and he shares our conviction that the team has a lot of potential. He aligns with our philosophy—his teams are bold, dynamic, and proactive—and we believe he’s the ideal person to restore that identity.

The director of soccer, Andrés Pardo, stated that “it’s always difficult to make a decision to make a change, but we have renewed hope and energy to turn this around. He has a lot of experience and knows us very well; he’s full of enthusiasm, drive, and strength. He speaks with conviction about the team and its caliber. A new chapter is beginning, and we’re very excited about it.”

For his part, Luis Carrión wanted to “thank everyone for the welcome. I’m very excited and very happy to be here. We’ve had several rounds of discussions, and this was the final one. Hopefully, it will be a year full of success.”

Afterward, everyone answered questions from the media present at the event:

Luis Carrión: “We have to work hard, hold ourselves to high standards, and push the players to their performance limits.”

Reasons for joining: “We had meetings at various times. At the start of the season, I put together a list of the most well-rounded rosters, and Leganés was one of them. I’m very convinced. From the outside, you see a serious club that does things right, and a roster that could work well for me. We’ll see how things go day to day, but I’m very happy that everything worked out. We’ve always had a good feeling, and this time it came together. I hope it’s a good season.”

Playing Style: “It’s a team with a lot of versatility in terms of players. There are different types of wingers, fullbacks with varying characteristics, and many high-level players. We need to find that right approach. The team has to be bold and pose a threat to the opponent, always aiming for the three points.”

Goals: “Try to be as happy as possible. I don’t want to set a specific goal; I just want to focus on Saturday and then the next game, and let that lead to an improvement in the standings. We’ll keep working day by day to implement the things we want, and hopefully that will show over the weekend.”

Regaining Enthusiasm: “Tactical work helps, but the mental aspect multiplies the effect. I haven’t seen a demoralized team—it’s just had some poor results. We’ll try to get the players to perform at a higher level and find those solutions so the team keeps improving. I’m convinced that’s how it’s going to be.”

Previous experiences in Oviedo and Cartagena: “Every club is different, and so is every roster. But these are life experiences that you have to try to use to implement things now—even the negative ones. You have to learn from everything. We’re coming in with our eyes wide open to get the most out of this. In some situations, we started off worse than we are now and found solutions; I’m convinced we’ll find them here, too.”

Meeting with the players: “It went by very quickly. The priority today was to train, get to know them, and work on scenarios we think might arise in matches. I’ve seen a very positive attitude from the guys; we’ll try to bring our own approach and make sure they understand it.”

Poor momentum: “We need results to turn it around. We have to work hard, be demanding of ourselves, and push the players to their performance limits so that what we want to happen actually happens. Motivation has to be sky-high; there are very few reasons to be down in the dumps in soccer. A coaching change sometimes helps players get back on track. We’ll try to do whatever it takes to be in the best possible shape for the match.”

What to expect from his team: “From the outside, I’d already analyzed the roster in my head. It’s a roster I like—versatile and talented, with some really good players. We’re going to try to help the team quickly understand what we want: to be bold and beat the opponent by doing more of what we’ve planned and worked on. They can be ready to press aggressively, play well with the ball, find spaces, and create scoring opportunities… I have a lot of faith in this squad, and I believe we can do it.”

Improving effectiveness: “This is an outside analysis. When things aren’t going very well, it’s not just one person’s fault—there are players who need to step up. We’re going to try to create situations where our forwards and midfielders have more opportunities and the players feel comfortable. Hopefully that will lead to more goals, more chances, and more players getting into the box.”

Five coaches in two years: “I’m coming in with a lot of enthusiasm and a desire to stay for a long time. The project I’ve seen has evolved; it has a good roster and people eager to do well. Hopefully we’ll work together for a long time.”

Tactical Approach: “Formations change depending on which players you have. I need to get to know the players well from the inside; I’ve watched every game and can see what solutions I can propose. I have to adapt to what I have and try to convince the players that what we’re proposing can help us win. We want to try to change those little things and make it work—with all due respect to the previous coach—and keep evolving.”

Debut against Mallorca: “They’re a good team, but so are we. We’ll try to make sure more happens than we’d like. It’ll be tough, but they have to think about that too. We want to get the three points—that’s what we’ll be aiming for every week.”

Qualities that fit with Leganés: “It’s hard to talk about oneself. We can convince the players that we need to do more—that we can do a lot more during the week and in the matches. We’ll try to convince them that the way we want to work can be effective in earning points.”

Positive aspects: “I’ve seen a very committed team. The start was very tough, and the team competed very well. Even toward the end, it didn’t seem to me like the team had lost its way; rather, things just don’t always go as planned, and we’re looking to shift the momentum. I believe in this squad—they’re hardworking guys—and we’ll do our best to turn things around.”

Eduardo Cosín: “We believe this change in identity will lead to better results”

Avoiding what happened last season: “Every season is different. We want to set ourselves apart, but we don’t want to repeat mistakes. This is a new management team that makes firm decisions when it believes a change needs to be implemented. We believe that this change in identity will lead to better results. After much analysis, we believe the slump in results stems from that change in style of play.”

Andrés Pardo: “We have to regain the spirit and the level of play we believe this squad is capable of”

What Went Wrong at the Start: “Many situations are hard to explain. We all saw the kind of start we had, and it was unthinkable that the following matches would go that way. These things happen—sometimes they’re beyond our control. In these last few matches, the team has lacked that identity, which has made it harder to recognize. We have to regain the spirit and the level of play we believe this squad is capable of. The coach is excited about the squad, and we have to focus on that.”

Difficult decision: “A change is always traumatic because there’s a lot of work behind it. These are difficult decisions, but I believe my role is to make them when we think it’s necessary. What the team was telling me was that it was hard to get back to where we were at the start of the season, and we’ve found ourselves feeling lost. It’s tough, but that’s why I’m here.”

Fifth coach in a season and a half: “When things are going well, you can have much more stability. When there’s a balance between expectations and performance, you can have it. During this time, there hasn’t been that balance, and that’s why all these changes have happened.”

Areas for improvement: “We haven’t addressed that issue yet. Luis has a deep understanding of the roster, and that’s been a key factor in him being here. 

He knows what each player can contribute, and we’re not actively focused on the transfer market—rather, on getting the most out of the players we have. Later, as with every transfer window, if we identify gaps, we’ll assess whether we have any needs.”

Closing in on the top of the table: “It has to be a result of consistency—in results and in what we want to be. We have to determine what we want to be. Last summer we were excited about the roster, and we believe the team can give so much more and be more consistent in the identity we want to establish. We can be offensive—we haven’t shown that in these games—but we can develop a distinct identity to be reliable and consistent and keep climbing to reach the top.”

Process of Change: “It’s been a difficult process. Not much time has passed. When the match ended, the feeling began to grow that a change was needed. We analyzed the situation and discussed it, and ultimately came to the conclusion that this change had to come from a coach who could make us believe in ourselves and get us excited again. The team can present a much better image, and we hope we can shift that dynamic.”

Loss of identity: “If I had to single out a specific moment, it would be the game against Cádiz. That, along with the matches against Almería and Córdoba, might be the point where you sense that the team has changed significantly. At first we were solid, and then we weren’t. Against Castellón, it was a game we played on equal terms, and they were more clinical than we were, but we didn’t come away feeling like we’d played badly. 

In the last three games, though, we really have played poorly.”

Mental State: “Soccer is complicated, and our role is even more so. There are twenty-two teams competing, and only three will succeed. I’m optimistic; I believe strongly in hard work. Things aren’t going well right now, but there are still 32 matchdays left. We need to change, to create a different dynamic, but we have the same enthusiasm and we’re eager for a turnaround so we can enjoy ourselves and get the team as high up the table as possible. I don’t think the mental aspect is the deciding factor. Last season’s situation isn’t comparable to this one. There’s new energy in the locker room, and the players have shown they know how to bounce back from major mental setbacks. The team bounced back and proved it could do it. Against Granada, the game turned around, but we ended up losing. This isn’t a mentally defeated team. I see a strong squad; they’ve just been a bit dazed in these matches and didn’t have a clear direction.”

Luis Carrión: “We knew each other. We met last summer, and this time it was his conviction and his knowledge of the roster that made the difference. Hearing him talk about the team—the positive aspects and the level he wants to take them to—was decisive. It’s a difficult day, but the feeling of excitement and connection with the team is back.”

Rethinking the Goals: “We didn’t have a specific goal to communicate. It was about doing the best job possible to build the roster and start competing. There are very good teams in the Second Division; it’s a very demanding league where teams are very evenly matched, but we have to have the character to go out and win games. We need to regain that identity we want to instill in the team—the desire to win every game. We have to take steps to make that happen.”