Party in the streets, all business on the pitch
It might be a party mood in Castellón this weekend, as the city celebrates the Fiestas de la Magdalena, but this week on the training pitch it has been anything but. The Albinegres have been fully focused on putting an end to their two match losing run as they come back to Castalia to face Alcoyano, trying to limit the gap to first place at the top of the table.
Castellón have already got their work cut out to catch up to leaders Eldense, with the gap now seven points, and any further slip up at home would likely put the top spot out of reach. After disappointing away defeats to Intercity and Amorebieta, manager Albert Rudé understands the gravity of situation, and the importance of changing the dynamic of the last few games.
However the side from Alcoy are also in a difficult situation, without a win in four games and without a home win in over 100 days. The latter will continue whatever happens after this weekend, but after starting the season so strongly (five wins in the first six games), they have collapsed quite spectacularly from that point on. Only two wins since the start of October mean manager Vicente Parras is now feeling the pressure - “I take full responsibility and I know I made mistakes”, he said in the pre-match press conference.
Injury problems for both sides
To make things more complicated, both teams are far from full strength, and will have to make do with whatever players are available. Jesus De Miguel, Adrian Fuentes, Salva Ruiz, Borja Granero and Pablo Hernández are all doubts, with Rudé not commenting on their likelihood of taking part on Sunday. Three of that list (De Miguel, Fuentes and Granero) were January signings, and the status of Roland Baas, another winter signing, is also unclear. The Dutchman was signed from De Graafschap and has yet to make his debut.
For Alcoyano, regular starters Juanan Casanova and Lillo Castellano could miss out as well. The former has provided three goals this season and started every single game, a testament to his importance to the team.
Weaknesses to exploit
Over the last few games, Alcoyano have conceded from low crosses, something that Castellón could look to exploit with more emphasis on wing play and overlaps. They have also struggled with spacing, especially noticeable when they played against Barcelona Atletic on a larger pitch. Now back on a good quality pitch at Castalia, the Albinegres should be able to fully take advantage of this through the likes of Suero, Fabricio and more technical players like Jeremy De Leon.
Similarly, Alcoyano has suffered from a relatively high number of defensive lapses in concentration. For Barcelona’s second goal, Lillo Castellon completely fails to notice the winger on the opposite side moving into the box, which allows him the space to get to the rebound and score easily.
Ultimately, Castellón should be much more in their comfort zone compared to the previous two games. However, if Alcoyano get inspired by Amorebieta and decide to press high, Castellón will have to react much better and take a different approach to building up play.
Despite it being the biggest week of the year in Castellón from a cultural and social perspective, the fans will hopefully be out in force and bring the party to the stadium to help the team get all three points.
