Will try Mauricio Pochettino to complete, this Wednesday night, one of his most sentimental conquests, the elimination of Barcelona in the Champions League, in command of Paris Saint Germain, after the 1-4 of the first leg at the Camp Nou. A mission that would lead him to achieve a quarterfinal that, changing competition, are very current this week in memory of those who –like the Spanish-Argentine coach– are active in Espanyol.
Very far from the majestic Park of the Princes, although paradoxically with more public than there will be tonight, 6,000 spectators –180 of them parrots–, Pochettino experienced the biggest blur of his career as a coach, on January 25, 2012. It was in Anduva, the stadium that to which Espanyol returns this next Saturday with the obligation to win, after having left the direct promotion zone to First, and that that night became a real hell for the Sheriff of Murphy and his players, in the Copa del Rey. From the entrance, with a banner that read 'This is Anduva' in the style of 'This is Anfield', to a truly devastating end of the game for some and heroic for the locals, for a Mirandés that completed an authentic feat.
Seen with perspective, the precedents invited Pochettino to be careful. Not only the Burgos came to eliminate two First, but in the first leg, played in Cornellà-El Prat, they had commanded on the scoreboard, with a 0-2, until in 84 'Espanyol put the batteries and in five minutes he came back with goals from Vladi Weiss, Rui Fonte and Joan Verdu. Precisely the absence of the Catalan midfielder in Anduva's lineup was the first point of controversy of a terrifying evening. “Ask him,” Pochettino said of the substitution at the end of the game. “I had discomfort, I always want to play,” concluded Verdú.
The script could not be written by more than a master of suspense, since Espanyol seemed to sentence the tie with a goal from Rui Fonte as soon as the second half started. But Pablo Infante, who became a celebrity in that tournament, tested in 58 'from outside the area and won a prize, with the involuntary collaboration of Raúl Baena, who touched the ball just enough to deflect it. Y in the 92nd minute, there was a lateral foul that overflowed the euphoria of Mirandés and the despair of parrots.
Whoever was in Anduva that frigid night will be able to remember that the goal was perceived in the atmosphere, long before Infante dumped the free kick. Long before Nauzet Alemán went up to the auction, adding epic to the matter. So it was. The ball reached the head of César Caneda –Veteran then, 33 years old, and more now, who continues to play in Second B at 42–, who connected to beat Kiko Casilla. 'This is Anduva', and so much so that it was.
With the madness installed in the coquettish stadium, he released Carlos Pouso, the local preparer: “I am happier than Mourinho, that the poor man is not happy even winning God's“Much more content, obviously, showed a Pochettino what did he consider as “a very big stick“the elimination and stressed that not even having scored four goals in the two games had they been able to reach the semifinals.
“It was a very big stick”
Pochettino
Consequence or not of the “stick”, curiously that Espanyol experienced a before and after of his passage through Anduva. Before taking on the Mirandés, in LaLiga he was fifth classified and equaled on points with fourth, that is, shamelessly fighting for the Champions zone. From his bleak night he only added 14 points in the remaining 18 days, so he finished in fourteenth position and only five points from the descent.
There is no doubt that Pochettino learned that January 25, 2012, because you only have to see his subsequent resume, reaching a Champions League final with Tottenham and currently again aspiring to everything with PSG. The ball is now on the roof of Espanyol, which will seek revenge now that for the first time he returns to Anduva, and that he will try to reverse what happened then: that your visit to Mirandés means the end of a bad streak and the beginning of an upward trajectory. He has no other.