Málaga closed the first round with a dubious draw against Oviedo at La Rosaleda (1-1). It was by no means the best game of the season for the Blue and Whites, who suffered a great deal in the second half and saw even the tie seriously endangered. The 1-1 against the Asturians leaves the Blue and Whites with 28 points in the standings in the middle of the competition, closer to playoff spots than relegation zone.
In the absence of Sporting de Gijón – Fuenlabrada being played this Monday, Málaga closes the first half of the season five points behind the Asturian team, which currently occupies sixth position. The income on the relegation places is, at the moment, nine points, although Sabadell must receive Lugo this Monday. If the Catalans score a point, the cushion over the well will be eight points. A distance that allows the team to face the second stage of the championship with optimism and confidence.
The balance so far is, without a doubt, more than positive. Especially considering the extremely complicated summer that Málaga experienced, which spent many weeks on the wire and ran a serious risk of not even being able to go out to compete.
Finally, the ERE to the squad went ahead and the team, despite being made up with 2.1 million and having received most of the reinforcements with the League already started, is offering a great performance. Still, Pellicer keeps his speech ambitious and works to correct some of the pending points his team has.
Irregularity at La Rosaleda
The main deficiency that Málaga has shown to date lies in the home games, where they are showing an irregularity that prevents them from being in a much more comfortable position. The Blue and Whites have added 11 of 30 points at La Rosaleda, figures that only worsen Albacete (10 points at home) and Sabadell (8). Málaga is also having a hard time generating chances and scoring goals. And is that he has only managed to score 20 goals in the 21 games played so far, adding only eight goals in the ten stakes that have been played in Martiricos.
Harmed by the VAR
Pellicer bites his tongue every other day in relation to the arbitration decisions that Málaga is suffering and the application of the VAR. At La Rosaleda they clearly feel hurt, especially in the last few days. The Blue and Whites claim errors in the matches against Leganés, Lugo, Cartagena, Almería, Logroñés, Albacete and Oviedo. “The interpretation right now I think is hurting us. The action of the VAR you already know my opinion perfectly, as I said the other day, it does not have to serve as an excuse, but there are actions in which we feel harmed, as it is uneven. Interpretation is not favoring us“said Pellicer this Saturday after the draw against Oviedo.
Yanis and Chavarría, the stilettos
The good trajectory of Málaga, which faced the season with the lowest salary limit in Segunda, is mainly due, of course, to the performance of its players. Among the many new faces of the project have especially highlighted Yanis Rahmani and Pablo Chavarría. The winger already has three goals and four assists and he is surely the most decisive blue and white player so far this season. The Argentine striker, three goals and two assistsHe is also showing a great level and the club is very clear that they will fight to try to keep him linked to Malaga next season.
Joaquín Muñoz was the last to arrive and his importance in the team is also growing notably. Other players like Caye Quintana or Alberto Escassi have become fundamental pieces for the coach almost from day one.