Espanyol treats themselves to a Champions League vacation

Cornellà de LlobregatOn May 22, 2005, Iturralde González disallowed a goal against Osasuna for a non-existent offside, which would have put Espanyol in the Champions League for the first time in their history. Since then, the Blanquiazules, who have never played with the star ball, have only appeared in the top four of La Liga a handful of times (18 in 687 matches), the last time at the end of 2018. That's why many Espanyol fans, when the referee blew the final whistle, took a screenshot of the table to immortalize the virtual fourth position (Barça played later) of an Espanyol that has yet to lose, has seven out of nine, and won't play for another 15 days due to the league break. Carlos Romero, the scorer of the only goal, is inviting everyone to a more than deserved vacation.

Manolo González's wardrobe

The 14 signings Garagarza made in the transfer window, which closes this Monday, have given Manolo González a depth of depth he'd never had before as a manager. And since the Galician has great tactical acumen, this allows him to make changes and adjust the game plan to suit his opponent. Against Osasuna, he decided to give Kike García, a more precise and static player than Roberto, his first start as a Blanquiazul player so he could battle in the air with Catena, a specialist in aerial play. The strategy almost paid off because 60 seconds into the match, Cuenca's top scorer, with a very powerful shot from the penalty spot, came very close to scoring the first after a great pass from Pere Milla.

The action was preceded by a recovery in three-quarters of the field by Dolan, a play that perfectly describes the aggressiveness and competitive hunger of this team, who a few minutes later came close to scoring with a handball, which Herrera saved from Kike with his leg after Pol Lozano. Espanyol's initial monologue, which showed that they also know how to attack without space to run, was not translated into the score and almost cost the Catalans a scare because, in a quick counterattack led by the speedy Víctor Muñoz, Dmitrovic prevented Budimir from making it 0-1, whose goal was too small when he faced the Serbian.

The initial hustle and bustle gave way to calm, with the gallops of Dolan and Muñoz providing the main entertainment for an RCDE Stadium that is a party every Sunday. The social moment for the club is unbeatable, and the sporting one too, because after the break, in a play that was born from a flourish by the British winger, dubbed DolandinhoCarlos Romero fired a shot at Herrera to the delight of the 30,000 fans in the stadium yesterday. With the score at 1-0, Manolo wanted to save face and brought on Urko González in place of Expósito, a more creative player. The Basque midfielder, signed just a few days ago, received one of the afternoon's standing ovations on his return to Cornellà.

With Dolan getting fans off their feet every time he received a pass, Koleosho making his debut, and Catena missing an empty net, the Catalan side maintained their lead on the scoreboard and confirmed that this year they mean business. They compete against any opponent, play good football, and are already in European positions. Manolo González's Espanyol is a team of authors and is aiming high, but with caution because, as their coach says, "talking about objectives for Matchday 3 is madness."