Another day marked by refereeing controversy (which won:t be mentioned in this section) in the Spanish First Division. Real Madrid and Girona continue at the top of the table with away wins. Pellegrino made a fine debut at Cádiz with a draw against Athletic Club. But Xavi Hernández has been all over the front pages this week after the announcement of his departure. We begin with ‘LaLiga Overtime’.
LaLiga Overtime – Match Day #22:
Bunting, bunting, Xavi is over:
The news of the weekend happened at the Estadio Lluís Companys. Another defeat for Barcelona against Villarreal has knocked the Culés out of almost any chance of retaining the title. Another absolute defensive disaster that marked a negative milestone not seen since 1994. That year had been the last time Barça had conceded five home goals in a Spanish Super Cup against Zaragoza.
But there was one piece of news that overshadowed this disappointing statistic. Xavi Hernández, after two years in charge, has announced that he will step down as Barça coach at the end of the season. The man called upon to save the Catalan club has been forced out by poor results.
Although this season could be described as lamentable, Xavi has managed to restore the enthusiasm of the Barça fans for their team. A legend who has five months ahead of him to leave a greater legacy and with the door always open to return.
Samu Omorodion, Alavés’ rocket:
Alavés are enjoying the best moment of the season. They have accumulated three consecutive victories that have helped them to distance themselves considerably from relegation. A tremendous job by Luis García Plaza, a magnificent and underrated coach, which this Friday against Almería exemplifies. A team that has never given up, despite suffering multiple late goals that cost them several points.
An example of this is Samu Omorodion. A player who has been singled out in some matches for several errors in his finishing, normal for a player of his age. What he has always shown is unparalleled power. He is a player who is unstoppable on the run, and this match day he showed that. Therefore, he deserved to be the protagonist of ‘LaLiga Overtime’ this match day.
Two goals and two gallops, one ending in a penalty and the other in a goal, was his record. An improvement in his finishing that, if he continues like this, will make Samu Omorodion a very important player in the future for Atlético de Madrid, the team that owns his federative rights, and the Spanish national team.
Girona’s wall:
We have talked about Girona on many occasions. About Míchel and his excellent work from the bench. David López‘s leadership capacity. Aleix García‘s clarity in managing the tempo of the game. The overflow and dynamism of Tsygankov and Savinho. And the goal scoring of Artem Dovbyk. But one player who is not often mentioned and who is very important for the Gironí team is Paulo Gazzaniga.
The Argentinian goalkeeper celebrated his 50th appearance for the Catalan side this weekend and he did it in style. Gazzaniga played an excellent game against Celta in Balaídos. He showed security in the air, reflexes and security. He was the most important player for Míchel’s side against Celta, which allowed them to take three valuable points to continue at the top of the competition, at the expense of Real Madrid’s game.
In short, Girona also have a goalkeeper and a very good one.
Translated by Marcos Rodríguez.
Main image: Edit Pablo Benítez.
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