The religion of 'Melendismo'

On Sunday against Real Madrid, leaders of the championship, a small 1.70m player made mischief in the center of the field. Óscar Melendo received four fouls (the only effective way to stop him), made the 13 passes he tried (eight of them forwards), dribbled twice successfully and filtered an assist from the right to Adrià Pedrosa who delighted the fans, who dismissed him in the 59th minute with a loud standing ovation.

It is the umpteenth exhibition of the Melendism, that movement that accompanies Espanyol since its premiere on November 20, 2016 in Vitoria. Like a religion, Melendo has its devotees. The footballer has raised more expectations among the fans than among the technicians, always under suspicion, branded more as a specialist for specific matches or to unblock defenses than as a prop of the team and an indispensable piece. A situation denied by the data. 'Melendismo' is a religion, but Melendo's football is empirical.

Since making his debut in the 2016-17 campaign, the footballer has started 67 times. In them, Espanyol has achieved 27 wins, 22 draws and has added 18 losses (103 points) which represents adding 51.24%. In that section, Espanyol has added 274 points out of 606 possible, which translates into 45.2% of the points. 6% less with Melendo, which over a season is equivalent to seven points. A world with all its nuances and fine print: 36 of those games in which he started will be played at home and 31 away. A difference that is not so relevant.

The midfielder accumulates five seasons in the first team, he is 24 years old and ends his contract next June. Both parties were summoned to initiate the talks for the renovation this month of October. The will of the sports management is to continue counting on a footballer whose history at Espanyol has been clear: when the coaches bet on him, the team functioned as a dominant player.

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The best technicians of the youth squad: Rubi and Moreno

Melendo's best campaign was with Joan Francesc Ferrer, Rubi, coach. The footballer started 22 games, including the first in which Espanyol achieved a sensational streak and the last when they reached Europe. The year before, with David gallego after the dismissal of Quique Sánchez Flores, also led a spectacular final championship sprint. With Vicente Moreno the previous year, Melendo had a leading role, with another 22 starting games and only two defeats.

In the worst years of Espanyol Melendo has not participated. The year of Quique's dismissal he had only started two games while during the relegation season he played 12. This course wants to stop being a resource and become another key piece as he demonstrated against Real Madrid.