It is not necessary to look at statistics or heat maps to conclude that Espanyol’s match at La Cerámica was unworthy and the worst of the season. Receiving five goals, three of them in just 45 minutes, barely reaching 34% possession, shooting up to four times less on goal than your rival and not being able to dominate part of the match are too many transparent symptoms. But there is a surgical fact, which reflected how Espanyol ended up cornered by the yellow maelstrom.
The average position of the 11 starters was limited to Espanyol’s own field, unlike Villarreal, where up to seven players spent more time on the rival field. Only Raúl de Tomás and Adrià Pedrosa, who moved up the wing in the second half but ended up being substituted, reached the midfield, but no sign of Javi Puado or Tonny Vilhena, sacrificed in defense and without finishing opportunities. Only the youth squad, after serving a corner, tried without success.
“We were not up to the task, games like this require going out to the maximum. It was not so. We found ourselves at 1-0, they turned their faces and we couldn’t give the people a joy”, he limited himself to assessing a Yangel Herrera who offered a more pusillanimous face than against Sevilla, where he completed a remarkable match. “It’s time to get up, get the game off us and focus on the duel against Getafe, we have to win it yes or yes”, stressed the Venezuelan, who the previous week commented that he wanted to “reach my best version.”
It is curious that in the first half Espanyol only gave 32 passes in the rival field, two of them from Raúl de Tomás, their spearhead, and the player who participated in the most actions was Keidi Bare, who even tried in some individual outburst to recover , drive, dribble and finish plays. The attitude of the Albanian, too exposed defensively, made up the statistics in the rival field of the parakeet team. Espanyol’s sequences in the rival field were conspicuous by their absence, as well as the ability to generate chances.