It was not normal for Sporting to spend a year and a half without linking two consecutive victories. Neither did the fact that into the month of April they continued without celebrating any win at home in 2023. Strange, very strange, the fact of getting used to the team living with the permanent feeling of being threatened by the relegation places in Second Division began to become. With seven days to go, none of this is definitively over, but having won in Ibiza has broken with negative dynamics and various ghosts. A confirmed turning point when the calendar tightens. Among the causes, the concatenation of several factors and some proper name. From the “Irarragorri effect” to the unexpected leadership of a young newcomer like Jonathan Varane. The fans and Mareo, always alert, completed the circle to recover a certain normality in just three weeks.
the return of the president. Alejandro Irarragorri traveled to Ibiza the same day of the game. He did it to add his third consecutive day with the team. Never before had he been in so many games accompanying the rojiblanco team. The situation had never been so delicate. His presence has led to the best winning streak since 2021. The president of Sporting and the Orlegi Group avoids claiming a talismanic effect. The data, however, shows that whenever he is in the box, he joins. He repeats to those who ask him the same answer: “If it were that simple …”. What is undeniable is that the fact of seeing him in Gijón has helped the group give a plus to reverse a situation that was beginning to become very dangerous. Tomorrow he will receive Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, to make him a participant, in El Molinón and in Mareo, of Sporting’s future plans.
Ramírez and the script. The defeat against Mirandés at El Molinón ended the defense of four at Sporting and more. With a vocation towards positional football worn out by the review of the Burgos and with the anger of El Molinón, Miguel Ángel Ramírez changed the script. He assumed that before beginning advanced studies it is convenient to have a clear understanding of the basic aspects of the subject. He returned to the defense of five. An anecdote within the true path: learning to return to being reliable defensively in order to grow from there. It was rehearsed in Burgos, and what was often that, a one-day rehearsal, evolved in Las Palmas. Two draws that ended up leading to a well-deserved victory against Granada and from there, to the second victory, against Ibiza. Always, with the same model and idea.
El Molinón, tucked. If the win against Mirandés showed the team that it was on the wrong path, the anger of the fans increased the loss. For the first time since the change of ownership, he turned to the box. Recovering the confidence of sportingism seemed like a difficult task, but it was achieved through television. Seeing Sporting’s compromised response in two consecutive outings, those at El Plantío and the Gran Canaria Stadium, with the added bonus of a controversial arbitration decision that provoked the protest of David Guerra, executive president, was the breeding ground. The staging against Granada completed the reconciliation. He made El Molinón roar like on the best occasions. The victory against Ibiza has made the most optimistic reckon with the play-off. Gijón and sportingism in its purest form.
Varane and the viral song. “Oh, le, le, oh, la, la What happened? Together we won.” This chant was started against Granada by one of the last players to reach the first team from the subsidiary. A mileurista who is one game away from signing a professional contract and who has revolutionized the dressing room thanks to his game and self-confidence. Jonathan Varane has emerged as an unexpected leader at the most delicate moment. He made his debut as a starter in Burgos and since then has always been among the best. The team follows him in the game, and in the songs. Success by Pedro Menéndez and Gerardo García’s team. Possibly the best investment of the year.
Dizziness to the rescue. History repeats itself. In Sporting’s worst moments, those who end up showing their faces have Mareo’s DNA. It doesn’t matter if years pass, owners or categories change. In this season finale it has been repeated again. In recent weeks there have been three proper names: Pedro Díaz, Diego Sánchez and Queipo. The first has gone further since the arrival of Miguel Ángel Ramírez. He’s started correcting turnovers to maximize what he’s always had: hitting and assist ability. Queipo scored a great goal against Las Palmas out of sheer impudence when the tension drowned. The same, against Granada, a Diego Sánchez on the rise despite his expulsion in Ibiza.