2023-05-29 09:35:10
BarcelonaEspanyol will not forget Gil Manzano and Del Cerro Grande, the main and VAR referees in charge of directing the controversial draw at Mestalla that put an end to his aspirations to stay. Video refereeing unfairly harmed the white-and-blues in different actions in the final stretch of the season: from Atlético’s ghost goal to the non-expulsion of Gueye at Sánchez-Pizjuán. The VAR struck the final stab at a Spaniard who, all told, was in a borderline situation due to his own demerits.
The white-and-blue season has been horrible, full of mistakes and with a more than poor game. There are several causes and numerous culprits for Espanyol’s sixth relegation to the Second Division. The first, clearly, a Chen Yansheng who has become the first Spanish president with two descents (2020 and 2023), a rather symptomatic fact that defines quite well the failure of his management. Victorià Oliveras de la Riva (1961-62), Joan Vilà (1968-69), Antoni Baró (1988-89) and Juli Pardo (1992-93) were the top leaders in the previous trips to Segona, but none of they suffered more than one.
Far from transforming Espanyol into a regular in Europe, the Chinese businessman has turned the white-and-blue entity into an elevator team, a very dangerous scenario that has already caused other historic ones such as Deportivo, Málaga, Zaragoza or Racing end up stagnant far from the elite. A reality that, in fact, is already suffering from the first white-and-blue women’s team, which went down in 2020 and will add its third consecutive season to Reto Iberdrola.
A reckless management of Chen Yansheng
Chen financially rescued Espanyol with an injection of 160 million euros, but his management as president leaves much to be desired. Either he left the project in bad hands or, when he found valid professionals, he didn’t know how to take care of them. The result? Four general managers, five sporting directors and ten coaches in seven years. Espanyol has become a crusher of professionals and the most affected by this instability is the club itself. With Yansheng’s step forward by firing the previous CEO and appointing Mao Ye, however, the white-and-blue owner and chairman was more exposed.
Now he has no shields. He ratified Rufete and endorsed Domingo Catoira despite his inexperience. The still sporting director is not guaranteed continuity despite having another year of contract. The economic constraints resulting from the previous decline, the pandemic and the limitations of the Chinese government cannot be an excuse. Espanyol has not managed well the resources it has had nor has it managed well the departures of RDT and Pedrosa, two assets that conditioned the summer market. The winter signings have not fixed the gap.
The most scored team in the League
Diego Martínez excused himself in poor sports planning to justify that he had received an uncompensated squad. He didn’t lack reason, but he had plenty of excuses. Luis García, who has also made mistakes in planning some games, has shown how this team could play better. The constant changes on the bench and the fact of not betting on giving continuity to a game philosophy have taken their toll on a club that doesn’t know what it’s playing for or where to look in terms of football, neither in the first team nor in the squad. The dismissal of Luis Vicente and the departure of Hugo Blanco, one coordinator of grassroots football and the other responsible for identity, explain that the job has not been done well in many areas.
On the pitch, Espanyol have paid dearly for being the team with the most goals scored in the category, with 66 goals conceded. The numerous mistakes of the three goalkeepers, Lecomte, Álvaro Fernández and Pacheco, as well as of almost all the defenders, have cost 17 defeats and 12 draws and have neutralized the good performance in attack of the sixth highest scoring team in the League (49). Espanyol needs changes and Chen has no more protections.
#culprits #decline #years