Good afternoon, dear Osasunists! After almost 38 articles this season, one for each match of Osasuna, though I know that I missed some of them, this is the most important article in my three years as a blogger. One single match! Osasuna and its future depends on 90 minutes and a result.
Something similar happened yesterday afternoon for the title of La Liga, but when the relegation posts are the issue of the match, it is even more dramatic. Atletico de Madrid, CONGRATULATIONS, and Barça played for the championship at Camp Nou, but apart from a regeneration on the dressing room in Barcelona or a new chapter on their myth "El Pupas" in Atletico, they didn't risk much more.
Osasuna have been playing with fire for a long time. Now they have been in First Division for 14 seasons in a row, and after starting this season very badly and therefore the club changed coach, Javi Gracia took up Mendilibar, the team seemed to play a good football and even they won the actual champion at El Sadar, which actually was the last match that Osasuna won at El Sadar up to now!
Last Saturday, Osasuna had one of their last opportunities to save the season, but again they failed. Some people say that the nerves and the pity of Espanyol coach, Javier Aguirre, and his players saved the team to be already relegated. Besides, the last goal in the 93 minute of this afternoon rival, Betis, against Valladolid helped. Some Osasuna players and supporters now say that Betis players will come relaxed and unmotivated this afternoon, but I think that Betis are playing their best football now that they are relegated. I believe that extramotivation in the sense of money is one of the reasons, but another is that many players need to find a market to keep their salaries as they used to have this season or get a new team to play with the best in La Liga.
There are many comments on the success of the "poors" with Atletico against the powerful Barça or Mandril, but nobody says that Osasuna has got the lowest budget of all the implicated teams in relegation posts. It is clear that Osasuna players and his coach, Javi Gracia, must keep an eye on other teams and stadiums this afternoon, but what I think is that they must learn from yesterday and Atletico as they did their best with all the odds against.
Osasuna must play as there is no future if they lose. Those who are in the kickoff team must be concentrated and prepared to give their 200% and die in the field. Osasuna supporters cannot do anything else but fill in the stadium and push our players with the support we showed for 19 games home and away alike.
As it happens most of the years at the end of the season, there are goodbyes in the stadiums. Today there is a very important and undesired one at El Sadar: Patxi Puñal retires! The Great Captain after Cesar Crutxaga retires, and he wants to leave Osasuna in First Division. Cesar got it and I hope Patxi will do the same.
POSSIBLE KICKOFF TEAMS
Osasuna: Andrés Fernández; Marc Bertrán, Arribas, Miguel Flaño, Damiá; Cejudo, Puñal, Lolo, Roberto Torres; Acuña, Oriol Riera.
Betis: Adán; Juanfran, Perquis, Jordi Figueras, Chica; Lolo Reyes, N'Diaye; Vadillo, Salva Sevilla, Cedrick; Rubén Castro.
GORA OSASUNA! AUPA ROJILLOS!
No comments:
Post a Comment