What a canned excuse devoid of all consistency, Las Palmas and Tenerife meet each season, on numerous occasions, with mentions of the benefits of its climate and even time zone as an advantageous condition to face a football game. The last to get on the car was the coach of CD Lugo, Luis César Sampedro, who, using his work experience on the island of Teide, as if he had learned little and much less remembered, wanted to 'denounce' that the trip and the insular weather were playing against his team. Go if they did: 6-1 against.
Sampedro was just the latest in a list that grows every year. A list that distills a message without substance. It happens that both UD Las Palmas and CD Tenerife take each course, at least, 21 planes, as many as away games, involving each trip to peninsular territory the corresponding time change, none of these flights less than two hours in duration.
Connectivity stuff, trips can be lengthened more than desired. Also in pandemic times, with COVID-19 lurking behind every corner and with the authorities alerting systematically on the need to minimize mobility. A mobility that, in the case of Spanish professional football, reduces the transit of footballers who play outside house from hotel to stadium and from there, to the airport.
However, everything turns against UD itself this week. Happens that The yellow expedition that has to face this Saturday's match faces a three-day excursion to the Principality, with the consequent decrease in the quality of the training sessions before and after the matches that Pepe Mel has denounced so many times. A) Yes, the team moves to Oviedo on Friday at 9:45 am, with the return scheduled for Sunday at 5:55 pm. Accommodation is scheduled in that city, but will take place two training sessions, on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and on Sunday at 10:30 a.m., at Mareo, the hideout of Sporting de Gijón, which implies new displacements.
Insularity, more than ever this season, will cost Las Palmas dearly. Already said Pepe Mel last week: “The complaints about the time change are an anecdote.” Let them tell the Canarian teams.