Zaragoza are heading straight back where they came from unless a major overhaul is achieved in the winter break.
Of the three sides promoted to La Liga this season, Real Zaragoza were expected to be the team who could achieve safety. Whilst Xerez have surprised no-one by propping up the table and generally becoming the league’s whipping boys, the performance of Zaragoza has been a miserable one.
The Blanquillos have failed to match expectations and a 6 match winless streak means they now sit directly above Xerez in 19th position. They have the worst defensive record in the league, conceding a massive 35 goals in the 15 games that have passed so far.
Coach Marcelino has been given his marching orders and the club have publicly stated that they would love to bring Gus Poyet in as their new manager. When a club of Zaragoza’s stature starts looking to bring in a former legend as manager, you know things aren’t looking promising. You only have to look at Newcastle’s situation over the past couple of seasons in the Premier League.
Admittedly, the fixture list has not been kind to Zaragoza. They’ve had away fixtures against all of the current top five already this season. However, their performances in those have been abysmal, conceding 23 goals, with Barcelona and Real Madrid helping themselves to a six-goal haul each.
Their away form in general has been terrible, collecting only two points on the road, at Sporting Gijon and Malaga. Unfortunately, their home form has not been good enough to suggest they will be able to maintain Premier Division status on its own. A home loss to fellow strugglers Valladolid is one result that really rankled around the Zaragoza hierarchy.
So what has gone wrong at Zaragoza? Whilst it wasn’t the most convincing promotion campaign they launched last season, they still ended up as the second highest top scorers in a division that is notoriously difficult to escape. This season has only seen a return of 17 goals so far.
The loss of last season’s top goal-scorer, Ewerthon, to injury is one key reason. After he fired in 28 goals in the Segunda to earn his side promotion, he suffered an injury in pre-season and missed the start in the top-flight and has failed to gain much match-fitness. This has restricted him to just one start and nine substitute appearances. He has two goals to his name already though.
Defence is the key area where things just haven’t clicked though. Centre-backs Francisco Pavon and Ayala have a wealth of top-level experience behind them, but are playing like they’ve never met. Ayala is now 36 and it’s been speculated amongst the Spanish media that he is too old and too slow to quite cut it at this level. His quotes this week suggest he is already looking beyond this season and a swansong at River Plate.
Commitment is the crux of the matter. The board have become frequently frustrated that some players just don’t seem to care when they pull on the white shirt of Zaragoza. Director Erard Poschner has blasted the players, claiming, “With spirit like this it is better to ‘sack’ some players and seek reinforcements in the winter market. We want players who guarantee their work and effort.”
One player who looks set to be sold is Jermaine Pennant, a man who still considers himself good enough for the England team. As a player not considered good enough for a relegation threatened team, that particular dream can be shelved for the time being.
Zaragoza are a team in desperate need of some invigoration. They need to sort out those players who will fight for the club’s safety, because the current crop are steering them back to the Segunda. They need to choose wisely in appointing a new manager as well.
Currently, Zaragoza have none of the tools needed to stay in the top flight. The second half of the season is set to be very much an uphill struggle unless some drastic action is taken. Otherwise, a return a Segunda looks not just a possibility, but a formality.