Málaga runs out of test bench

José Alberto unrestrictedly regretted the elimination in the Cup at the hands of Rayo Majadahonda. The team did not measure up at Cerro del Espino and added another blur to their disappointing cupbearer résumé. “A missed opportunity”, the Asturian coach came to say after the match. Málaga, especially Blue and White Unit B, is left without a test bench. The minutes that the Cup was going to offer to the less usual have disappeared.

Only Jairo, with his good performance in the first tie against Peña Sport, has taken advantage of the Cup to change his soccer role within the squad. The Cantabrian had played 162 official minutes before said match. After his debut in the KO tournament, he has added 204 minutes and three starts in three games.

But Jairo’s situation is an exception. Not counting Dani Barrio, who has very difficult to regain ownership between now and June given the technician’s predilection for Dani Martín, the rest of the blue and white unit B has settled their participation in the cup with a failure. The numerous casualties are providing opportunities for most members of the squad also in the League, but the difference in level between the incumbents and the substitute theorists is being palpable.

Malaga is accusing a lot of the absences of players like Juande, Luis Muñoz or Jozabed. Spare parts are clearly underperforming in terms of performance. To this must be added the physical problems of footballers such as Paulino, Kevin, Antoñín or Ramón, which has accentuated the need to go to the winter market to try to find football solutions in a team that suffers an obvious lack of goal and also serious defensive problems.