Javi Chica says Espanyol’s mood has improved after the arrival of Monchi as general sporting director, even as the club remains under heavy pressure in the league table. Speaking on Pericos in Radio Marca, the former player and coach also stressed that Espanyol depends on itself and must stop looking over its shoulder at what rivals do.
Chica’s comments came after a difficult but successful spell with Espanyol’s Juvenil B team, which secured survival by taking 13 of 15 possible points in the final stretch of the season. He said the club reached out to him for help because of his knowledge of the house and the category, and that he accepted without hesitation because he wanted to test how far he could go by persuading a group of young players who were suffering mentally.
That return carried personal weight for Chica. He said he had already spent six years working at the club before leaving, and that the time away helped him think, train and come back stronger. He now hopes that the restructuring taking place inside the entity will give him continuity, because he feels Espanyol is his place.
The timing matters because Espanyol’s first team is in a moment Chica described as one of maximum anxiety. In that setting, he argued that the supporters cannot afford to split and that the crowd at the RCDE Stadium is key to getting results at home, pointing to the Oviedo match and the playoff de ascenso as examples of what the atmosphere can do.
Monchi’s presence has also been felt inside the dressing room, Chica said, adding that seeing him in the box and talking with the players and with Manolo González was a morale boost for the whole espanyolista environment. He described Monchi’s career at Sevilla as speaking for itself and said the appointment sends a positive signal through the club.
On the pitch, Chica singled out Pol Lozano as a player with race, courage and Perico feeling, but said the midfielder must keep growing with humility despite an excellent season. For Chica, the message for the senior team is simple: win its own matches, use its own hands to settle its fate and let the teams below do the worrying.
His answer is not complicated. Espanyol’s position in the standings leaves it with control of its future, and Chica believes the club’s best route through the pressure is the one he keeps returning to: unity in the stands, calm in the dressing room and belief in the work already done.
