The deep analyzes will be done in June. Oviedo hopes that this will happen with permanence in hand after a season that has been a thorn in the club’s side. But as summer arrives, there are fixed assessments that have been ruminating for some time in Oviedo to explain how a team made to fight for the play-off lives pending the Ponferradina matches so as not to get into the hole. There is a main factor, to which several voices of the entity point: sports planning in summer has not met expectations.
Neither in the short nor in the long term. There is a key fact that explains the “stagnation” of the squad: none of the signings of Tito Blanco, fired in October along with Bolo, is a starter in the current Oviedo. What there is is what was left of last year. “El Cuco looked at the bench and had Pombo, Montiel, Matheus, even Jirka. Neither Bolo nor Cervera have a deep wardrobe, and also the midfield was weakened,” says a former Oviedo manager.
The conclusion is that the work started by Rubén Reyes, valued by Carso and also by Pachuca, who wanted to play him off after Bolo’s dismissal, did not continue. The squad was not reinforced as expected, they assume at the club. That’s why Bolo was in the pack with Tito. In fact, the only signing settled in the eleven, without counting the winter market, is Quentin Braat, who curiously was the last addition to Rubén Reyes before he left for Getafe. The Frenchman won the position for Tomeu, but he has not yet emerged as a goalkeeper for the future, according to what the club indicates.
The problems of the size of the squad and the little implementation of the signings have direct effects in the coming weeks, transcendental to achieve salvation with two complicated exits: Leganés and Granada. Jimmy, in principle, will miss those two games due to a blow to the shoulder and Montoro, theoretically arrived to replace Brugman, untouchable last year, is not guaranteed to start. He is not the first choice. Camarasa will not arrive on time.
The solution, already usual in this course, seems to be at home. Mángel has possibilities to replace him. Also Rama, who arrived last year.
But the little implantation of the signings affects all the lines, not only the midfield. Probably the most flagrant case takes place in the defense. As a summary: three full-backs arrived in the summer and there is only one left, who is also a substitute. Miguelón, with a high salary, left early, on loan from Espanyol. The case of Aceves was different: he returned to Pachuca to facilitate having one more file of foreigners. In the attack, more of the same. Marcelo Flores, Koba and Enrich have not settled in the eleven either.
The winter market, in fact, was raised to give more bite above. And at the moment it is striking that only Vallejo has his place guaranteed. The man from Cádiz arrived through the express mediation of Cervera, he is a midfielder and since his goal in Malaga his influence on the game has diminished. The coach himself spoke of him last day. Given the low weight of the signings, little can be done, they admit with regret in the club, focused on achieving permanence to do the math in June and not repeat past mistakes.