Diego Martínez is a good manager, but...
In the first half against Real Sociedad, Leandro Cabrera nodded away a Brais Méndez header that looked as if it might be looping into the Espanyol net. That would have made it 2-0, but kept Espanyol within touching distance. In the second, he stooped his bonnet to block a Takefusa Kubo cross (un crack, again), directing it straight into his own net. A third Real Sociedad goal would eventually condemn them. Just as Espanyol were turning up the heat for the first time in the match, pushing for the 3-3, Cabrera would mistime his jump and cool things right down for La Real, creating a lengthy stoppage with his sending off.
Cabrera shook his head. Captain Sergi Darder shook his head. On the touchline, Diego Martínez shook his head. The Uruguayan defender has been playing hero and villain all season for Espanyol, but their issues go far beyond him. Or the fact that Joselu Mató and César Montes were missing in their 3-2 defeat at the RCDE Stadium on Monday night.
The sight of Martínez shaking his head has been the most consistent part of Espanyol this season, that and his ire that followed at the final whistle. After the match, he would say that there was no issue with their attitude. Probably correct, it still looks harder than ever to find reasons for their tendency towards the sloppy and the slovenly. If there was one thing his iconic Granada did, it was compete ferociously; the one think holding Espanyol back is an inability to do the same.
Everything about his appointment should have signalled a new era for Espanyol, yet it feels as if they are making more traps for themselves than ever. It’s enough to leave a fan looking like Fernando Morientes (see below).
From the very off, Raúl de Tomás had a bust up with Martínez, which may well be more on the Rayo Vallecano striker than him, but neither he nor the club handled it well. Martínez was outspoken about his malcontent with their summer business, and when winter came around, he was arguing about it in public with Sporting Director Domingo Catoira, during a friendly.
On the pitch, things have been just as chaotic. Espanyol have the joint third-worst defence in La Liga, despite having the leader of the Zarra award and second-top scorer in the division Joselu. No team has lost less games in the bottom half, but only Elche have won less. Los Pericos have seven red cards this season and five clean sheets, two of which came against lower league opposition. The most sadomasochistic statistic of the lot? Of the 25 games Espanyol have played this season, they have gone behind in 18 of them.
The positive that has been used in Martínez’s favour is the fact that his players do seem to react when they’re down. Real Sociedad was the perfect example that when they operate at capacity, they have the talent to cause every team in the division problems.
Given time, there is a strong chance Martínez will build a strong side out of the talent at his disposal, but he is teetering on the verge of serious trouble. Most clearly illustrated by the gap of just one point between Els blanc-i-blaus and the relegation zone.
The mistakes are so constant, the mental lapses so frequent, that the strain on the mind is beginning to show. Many fans left after an hour against Real Sociedad, exasperated at the predictable nature of their demise. Rowing against the current only continues to be character-building for so long. Eventually, the muscles give in, and the will snaps.
Espanyol are at a particularly delicate phase of the season. Their campaign won’t be defined by games against the likes of Real Sociedad, but they are running out of time before their bad habits become not flaws to be corrected, but part of their identity. Diego Martínez is a good manager, but the hour for him to show his value is nigh. Right now you’d have to argue there are 16 others in La Liga doing a better job.