Espanyol's steamroller changes strategy

The history of Espanyol is condensed in a week in which the fans have seen how the glass has gone from being half empty to half full after the overwhelming victory against Logroñés and the punctures of the four teams that also fight for direct promotion . The good news was happening with the draws of Mallorca and Sporting and the defeats of Leganés and especially Almería, which leave the Blue and Whites once again in the direct promotion zone and on the verge of being leaders again – even for an hour – if they beat Castellón next Friday.

Behind the victory against Logroñés, a rival that arrived at the RCDE Stadium after nine straight games without winning and with one of the least experienced squads in the category, there are other marked data, among other things, due to the recovery of some one of the best arguments of Vicente Moreno's team. In fact, the 4-0 is the biggest win of the course. Although beyond the amount, it is especially important how those plays arrived taking a look at the statistics of an uneven duel.

Espanyol finished 22 times (the record is 27 in Montilivi), 12 of them between the three posts. Unlike that meeting in Girona, where the Blue and Whites made up to 40 centers, this time they only crossed ten times, so the Parakeet team found other ways to seek the goal. Óscar Gil was not as deep as Adrià Pedrosa, while Óscar Melendo, Adri Embarba and Javi Puado found spaces inside and associated with Nany Dimata, less technically brilliant but more dapper than Raúl de Tomás.

In fact, the pressure after loss and when the ball came out was suffocating, and Espanyol recalled that of the first day against Albacete, when they drowned their rival by taking a step forward in all actions. Only the center-backs occupy an average position in their own field, even Adrià Pedrosa, Óscar Gil and Keidi Bare they spent most of the match in the attack zone. An improvement that was claimed in recent games, when the parakeet took a step back after taking the lead.