Espanyol, ‘old man’ normality

The contagion curve falls until it touches the ground, hospitals are recovering their usual pulse and restrictions are lifted. Like that of the public in the stadiums, among many others. The new normal increasingly resembles the old And, while hugs are no longer the patrimony of footballers and their goal celebrations, at Espanyol they have taken another step: in their case, the post-pandemic greatly improves the life they had before that the planet was confined.

Specifically, and without naturally counting the experience in Second, not two but three years ago that the parakeet team had not linked three victories at the RCDE Stadium. Since the debut of Joan Francesc Ferrer ‘Rubi’, when he linked up to five between August 26 and November 5, 2018: Valencia (2-0), Levante (1-0), Eibar (1-0), Villarreal (3-1) and Athletic Club (1-0). From August 26 to November 5. It was that extraordinary start of 21 points in 11 days that, in the end, would be worth him to reach Europe. With another figure that those of Vicente Moreno now emulate: two wins in a row. On that occasion, LaLiga concluded with triumphs against Atlético at home (3-0), in Butarque against Leganés (0-2) and the unforgettable Espanyol-Real Sociedad on May 18, 2019 (2-0). There, paradoxically, the joys ended.

Because in the old normality, the one immediately before the pandemic, Espanyol was only able to win two home games all season –Before Mallorca (1-0) and Alavés (2-0) – and to add 11 points in the entire first round, which is less than the 12 he currently accumulates, after nine rounds and after linking those three victories at home as in the past –1-0 against Alavés, 2-1 against Real Madrid and 2-0 on Monday against Cádiz–, the last two in a row.

Now parakeets visit the Elche, where a victory would again imitate that Espanyol that unleashed euphoria with access to Europe. That of a normality that has passed from old, to the point that it seems that decades have already passed.