Melendo, a casualty that breaks stereotypes

Behind that porcelain body, of that stature more typical of a gymnast than a soccer player, hides an Oscar Melendo who deceives his rivals as much as his passes or his breaks. The midfielder not only stands out for his understanding of the game but also for his numbers when he does not have the ball, a characteristic that breaks with the stereotypes with which they are used to involving footballers. The youth squad, who was along with Pablo Piatti the most frequent player in the First Division in the 2016-17 campaign, is the one who does the most kilometers on average per game, with a wide difference compared to the second (11.9 per game).

The data is extracted from the first 30 days of the championship, so the last three matches are not added, although their figures are already setting trends. Espanyol's average is 10.2 km per footballer, with a somewhat higher incidence away from home (10.37) than at home (10.2), and in which Sant Adrià stands out, who has played 1246 minutes of play and has seen his participation diminish in the second round.

“He is very intelligent. He does not dispute but wins the falls. From his defect he made a virtue. He adapted to an environment in which everyone was older. That gave him to reach the elite. He gives everything, he is generous, he has the will to press, get together, close … That makes him have a high footage, “commented a physical trainer who knows perfectly the qualities of the Spaniard, who missed the last two games due to COVID-19 and is almost certainly low for this Sunday.

“He is a player who despite his size has a strong lower body, and that allows him to compete in high performance. He has that explosiveness and plays with his body because he protects very well. Either he needs you or you don't take the ball from him. And that makes him different, “adds the specialist, who sees Melendo as a player who not only stands out for his technical qualities, but also for his invisible and generous work.