From Machín's “pipiolos” to Abelardo's “leaving the skin”

From 2-4 against Osasuna to 1-3 against Levante on Saturday, not only 202 days have passed since an undefeated Espanyol at home. There is a thread that joins both parties, in substance and form. The scripts were similar. A rival with a lower budget who visits the RCDE Stadium, an Espanyol who takes advantage or equalizes the pulse in the first half (1-0 in December and 1-1 against Levante) and an opponent who, overwhelmingly, ends up winning with clear advantage. An Espanyol inoperative in attack and fragile in defense.

Also in the press room there are parallels. After that meeting, Pablo Machín pointed out the players. It was a message that did not sit well in the locker room. The Soriano technician did not bite his tongue after seeing that his method was not useful for the team to resume flight. “Maybe we think more than we really are, and we need real guys, footballers who feel the profession. We cannot go around with pipiolos and giving advantage to rivals”he commented. One of the players named that match was Adrià Pedrosa, who had the chance of 2-0 and forgave. He did not start again until February 16, with Abelardo, completing a remarkable meeting in Seville (2-2).

The phrase of the pipiolos was not a shock for the team. In fact, three weeks later the coach was fired and Abelardo arrived, who agreed with the group, revitalized the team for the first two months, although on Saturday, after the defeat, he left another phrase for the season's archive. “The changes we made, with the exception of some cases, did not contribute. It gives me the feeling that we must leave our skin and there were players who have not transmitted this to me. They could have done more. In other times, the changes have contributed to us and this time it was the other way around, “he commented after the meeting.

Abelardo's statements hit Sergi Darder, Adrià Pedrosa and Facundo Ferryera mainly, who played more minutes than Matías Vargas and Pipa, who played the last seven minutes of the match. While David Gallego and Rubi did not leave public messages questioning any player, Machín and Abelardo did. Like Quique Sánchez Flores in his day, with the famous “we can't give it for more”.