Alone Madrid, Barça and Athletic, than they never came down, they have been more seasons in First that Espanyol, data that brings to the surface the upcoming drama in Cornellà just one year after the team qualified for the Europa League and had the penultimate episode yesterday with Abelardo's dismissal, to which they have not given even a return of credit. Rufete eats the brown of what remains, starting today against a Madrid that can put land in the middle with Barça. The tie culé in Balaídos allows you, at least, half mistake from here to the end (follow the match live on AS.com).
He last summer Espanyol transfer to two of its pillars, Borja Iglesias and Mario Hermoso, for more than fifty million of euros. The three have gone badly, because the striker has only scored six goals (20 he scored at Espanyol de Rubi last year), Hermoso has finished as a central quarter in Atlético and Spanish It's in desperate situation with a Madrid thrown and needed at the gates. Nor was the star signing, 'Monito' Vargas, who has played alone 19 minutes in the last eight games. It was also one of the six footballers in the squad who contracted the coronavirus at the beginning of the pandemic.
Shock therapy applied in winter has had short-lived results. After the failures of David Gallego and Pablo Machín on the bench, signed Abelardo for the second round. Two years before, the Asturian had rescued a Alavés bottom 6 points from salvation. History will not repeat itself. He took the team last five points from permanence and now he is still in line but eight from the target with only seven days ahead. The other remedy was also fleeting. Raúl de Tomás, the most expensive signing in the history of the club (20 million), he scored in his first four games and gave Espanyol six points, but he has not done it again. Tendinitis has allowed him to play only 73 minutes in the post-pandemic. Today you wait as a starter before the team that raised him and that never made room for him. The other two winter signings, Cabrera and EmbarbaThey have improved the equipment but not enough.
Almost desperately, Abelardo changed to Betis six of the players who had lost to Levante. A revolution without results and a situation that made the victory of Eibar, the most attainable team, against Valencia critical. Now, Rufete receives with relief the return of the two central holders: Bernardo and Cabrera.
Espanyol has not been in Second Division for 26 years, although on two occasions he was greatly threatened. The last one, in 2006, with that goal for the history of Corominas to Real. Now you can get to him with a Chinese owner, Chen Yansheng, the country's 254 fortune forged in toy, movie, TV and advertising businesses. Acquired 54% of the shares in 2016 and, after successive capital increases, owns 99.2% Of the entity. Two years ago already emerged rumors about the sale of the club and it is not ruled out that they return if there is a disaster.
Hazard and Vinicius
He Madrid, on the other hand, has made full after the return of football. Zidane has divided the minutes to keep the group active before the carousel of matches and fatigue, but he has not dared with the key positions: Courtois, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane and Benzema have been headlines always. The French only saved 19 minutes in these four days. It does not seem that none are going to leave the team in Cornellà.
Marcelo and Mendy the cake of the left band and Modric, Kroos, Valverde and Casemiro have distributed three positions (four occasionally) in the midfield. The Brazilian returns today, the Croatian and the great question is whether Zidane will repeat that 4-2-3-1 in which Hazard and Vinicius fit or will he stay were the Brazilian, the most decisive player on the team. On the right he has been playing, successively, with Rodrygo, Valverde, James and Bale. So the sequence leads this time to Asensio or Isco for Madrid to seek their fifth consecutive victory. That has been his ceiling in this League. History votes in its favor: it has only lost a game in the last 26 who has disputed against Espanyol.