The presence of Óscar Melendo in the lineup against Alavés was one of Abelardo Fernández's surprises. The bands had been a headache for the coach, with Sergi Darder as a false winger or even Wu Lei, players whose profile is more adapted to other positions. Not so the Sant Adrià, capable of playing playmaker or on the side, positions that he has been occupying in his formative years and in his time in First Division. With an Alavés with ten players, Melendo found his space and was decisive.
“I had a huge desire to play. Our goal was to win, and I think the team had a very complete match. We played just as well against 11 as against ten,” said the footballer who was not a starter since 1-1 against Athletic. on January 25. “We had to be solid behind and play forward,” proclaimed Melendo. Order and progress, Abelardo's recipe, after the break by COVID-19.
The footballer did not intervene too much in the game either, but his actions helped keep the ball, cause fouls and create dangerous situations. Of the 24 passes he made, only four of them missed, and five were to progress, some of them even in favorable conditions to finish on goal. The game fell on the side of Adrián Embarba, more active and sharp, but Melendo accompanied with his quality the parakeet team. “We had already trained at the stadium. People help, we know they are there and they support us. We dedicated the victory to it,” he said.
With no time to recover, Espanyol trained this morning at the Ciudad Deportiva and will do so tomorrow at 18:00. Melendo acknowledges that rest will now be key. “We have to recover these two days and then go for Getafe, which is going to be another important meeting,” he said.
The results of the day accompanied Espanyol, which was placed just one victory away from permanence due to the defeats of Leganés, Mallorca and Celta. Salvation, that unfathomable miracle, is now a bit less cumbersome.