When Espanyol made the line-up public an hour before the game in El Sadar, Jonathan Calleri's absence caught his attention. The striker, author of a hat-trick against Wolverhampton and substitute against Atlético, had earned the title since the arrival of Raúl de Tomás. Both formed a complementary society in the first four games of Madrid. Calleri's work, his aerial game and his space races were the way to free the former Benfica, who scored in those meetings with the collaboration of the Argentine.
In Vila-Real, a center of the tip itself finished off Tomás on goal. Against Athletic at home, both formed the pair in attack and again scored the Madrid with Calleri still on the pitch. As in Granada, in that penalty of discord that finally launched the parakeet itself. And finally, with Mallorca, in the first and only victory at home. Tomás scored in the 57th minute, before the 64 'replaced Calleri.
Change of plan. But the injury of De Tomás, before traveling to Seville, opened the door to other variants and a system change that paid off at its premiere. Abelardo made a 4-2-3-1 with Calleri as the only reference and Wu Lei on the right side, a formula that was worth making a remarkable game and drawing (2-2), a valuable point. Formula, later, that did not give results in Valladolid. Before the expulsion of David López, Espanyol had been shown a harmless set. Before Atlético, the coach repeated with De Tomás instead of Calleri. Espanyol resisted Diego Simeone's team and even went ahead with both Savic's own goal, woven by Wu Lei and De Tomás.
“I was wrong in the lineup, I shit all the shit to me,” said Abelardo after the game, aware that the staging of the team was not the best, surpassed by Osasuna, without a clear game link. At the break he corrected with the entry of Calleri by Wu Lei, although it was not enough. Not even with his best attack did Espanyol increase his chances, which he only threw into goal through Darder in an individual action that the goalkeeper refused.
Awaiting the course of the week, and with the meeting against Alavés on the horizon, Abelardo could use this pair of attackers again, aware that Espanyol is no longer worth even the draws if he wants to continue another year in First. And with Calleri and RdT in attack this Espanyol proved to be more dangerous.