Vicente Moreno, lover of taking care of all the details and of not giving clues to the rivals or with the squad lists or the line-ups, hinted that one of the factors that makes him consider changes is the result of the previous game. And Espanyol comes from repeating the line-up in the last two games, in which, curiously, they have not won. One of the players who has many numbers to return to the 'eleven' is Fran Mérida.
The midfielder has lived two stages at Espanyol in these 13 games. During the first nine he became a fixture and one of the “best” players on the team, in the words of the coach himself. Mérida accumulated eight starts in which he scored a goal and gave another assist, although he was always one of the substituted players. In fact, he only completed an entire match, against Tenerife. With hierarchy in midfield and a high technical level, the team moved to the beat of the Barcelona player, also transcendental from set pieces.
But Mérida was one of the players who entered the rotations against Ponferradina. He was a substitute and his substitute, Sergi Darder, had a good game from his “favorite” position. From there and for five games, the Mallorcan has taken his place and Óscar Melendo has acted as playmaker. In these five games, Espanyol's matches were more open, with nine goals in favor and four against, with ten points out of 15 at stake, 66%. With Mérida as the holder, the percentage was similar (69%).
With the Catalan player in the field, the parakeet team has been more solid defensively, a factor also highlighted by Moreno, who had lost the team in recent days. Darder could occupy the midfielder and Mérida return to the title, a formula also to protect themselves from Leganés in a balanced game that can decide the leadership. Merida is ready to start the second round of the season.