He walked firmly the Real Zaragoza back in March towards a promotion to First division that by trajectory and emotions seemed sung. I had not lost the set of Victor Fernandez not a single meeting in 2020. Some he won brilliantly, as before the then resurgent Sports of Fernando Vazquez (3-1), others by inertia and trade, as in Malaga (0-1) just before the break, and even those who choked ended up scratching something even at the last minute, case of Racing (2-2). The point is that the Saragossa was with five points over the third classified, which was the Almeria, and cutting distances with the then leader, the Cadiz. It was that of Victor undoubtedly the fittest team in the competition.
The coach had been able to take advantage of a squad designed with one of the lowest budgets in the category. Serve as an example that one of the sensations of the season, Luis Suarez, came to the city of Ebro after having descended to Second B with the Nastic and having scored only six goals. But the state of alarm arrived. And with him, the break. And with the resumption of the championship, transformation and sadness. Did not know the Saragossa adapt to that new football without an audience in the stands. The fans, the soul of that group, were not there to shelter him. 28,000 subscribers and a field practically full every game is not something very common in Second division. Assuming that you have to do without that is not easy.
And there were five, no less than five, consecutive defeats that the Maño team achieved in their stadium, something unthinkable at that point and as the team was in March if the stands had been full. That dire streak kept him from direct promotion. He finished third, since at the beginning of the campaign he had been signed but finally knew nothing. This was followed by several misfortunes, such as the positive for coronavirus of one of its most important players, Javi puado, or negligence of others, such as having to run out Luis Suarez in the playoff due to the delay with which it was played as a result of what happened in the Deportivo-Fuenlabrada. Without his two best forwards, The Romareda it was once again the grave of the hands in the promotion, falling before the Elche (0-1).
The current campaign has not started much better. Of the four games the team has played Ruben Baraja in his fiefdom, he has only won one, in the 88th minute against the Albacete (1-0), adding two draws against Las Palmas (2-2) and Sabadell (0-0), and a loss to Malaga (1-2). So in total, since the Real Zaragoza play in The Romareda without an audience, he has had seven defeats, two draws and only two wins. A ruin.
To this we must add this season that he is not fine either. It saves him for the moment the three points that he added before Alcorcón due to improper alignment, but in reality that match ended 0-0. In the other two starts, two defeats, both 1-0 against Leganes Y Mirandés.
The lack of goal is worrisome. Not a single one away from home and four in total in his stadium, one of them at his own door. Las Palmas. Of the other three, only one has been the work of a forward: Narvaez before him Albacete.
And all this with a dark perspective of the future. The Romareda will remain closed to the public. The team's challenge will be to recover that old friendship with a now enemy stadium. The alarm status has reached Real Zaragoza.