Since losing the promotion and promotion tie to Primera against Deportivo in May 2019, Málaga has been fighting for its sporting and institutional salvation. Two very tough seasons, the count has lived through an odyssey of survival. Salary limit exceeded, sanction by the League, registration of only 17 and 18 professional files in each of the two previous campaigns, suspension of Al Thani as president, appointment of a judicial administrator … life on the wire. Sports soccer.
For all this, and although only five days have passed, it should be noted that Málaga is sixth in the standings. Playoff position that he did not occupy since October 24, 2020 after a draw at La Rosaleda against Mirandés. Since then, the team then trained by Sergio Pellicer has moved into the middle zone. Since that date, the highest position he reached was seventh on matchday 16.
But we go further in our analysis. In the 89 days that have passed since the fateful defeat against the Coruña, Málaga has only managed to enter the top six on five occasions. Two in the 2019-20 season, another two in the 20-21 and now .. In the first of the aforementioned campaigns, the team led then by Víctor Sánchez del Amo won in Santander (0-1) and went to third place, being sixth in the next game after drawing with Las Palmas. A tricky situation. The Blue and Whites plummeted and in ten games went to the penultimate place.
In the following season, already with Sergio Pellicer, Málaga reached sixth place on matchdays seven and eight. Since then he has sailed without having to go into trouble and dreaming at some point of something more than permanence. But it was not possible and he ended up in a decent twelfth place that everyone would have signed.
Now the circumstances are better. Although Málaga continues to be judicially administered by José María Muñoz, there is a better margin for maneuver that has allowed us to have 23 professional chips and start the season with better feelings. Nobody mentions the word promotion, but Manolo Gaspar, the sports director, has raised the level of demand: “It is an obligation to improve what we did in the last league” Now Malaga has two tremendous starts to face two of the most competitive teams. form of the championship, Ponferradina and Sporting, two games that can mean a definitive launch to the top.