We will have to change the wheel of the bicycle while we are riding on it”. Diego Martínez emanates a constant dissatisfaction that keeps his own and strangers alert. His argument is not without truth. The squad, short until December, has been reinforced with talented people who have not played for months, such as Denis Suárez and Pacheco. The adaptation of the new ones is one of the keys of this renewed Espanyol, who just when he was wearing new shoes has received an unexpected blow to each foot.
Joselu will not be against Real Sociedad, nor is it known when he will return, due to a hamstring injury and Braithwaite is also a doubt due to some discomfort revealed by Diego Martínez and that has been dragging on for weeks. “He has some knee problems that limit him, and this load management that we have to have with him is going to be very difficult. He has been like this for three or four weeks and has for a good part of the season, ”he said, worried. Braithwaite was already injured for a good part of last season with knee problems.
The contribution of both strikers is key since they add up to 16 of the team's 24 goals, representing 66.6%, or what amounts to the same thing, two out of every three Espanyol goals have been scored by one of them. Joselu has eleven and is the second highest scorer in the championship, while the Dane has already five, two of them in recent weeks. Without their goal men at full capacity, Espanyol has a serious problem, as it holds the dubious honor of being the team in which the fewest players in the League have seen the goal, with only six. In addition to the two forwards, Puado (3), Darder (2), Edu Expósito (2) and Lazo (1), complete the shortlist.
As if that were not enough, his rival today, Real Sociedad, almost doubles him in terms of different scorers, with eleven. The people from San Sebastian are also one of the best visitors in the League, having won seven of their ten games away from home; Espanyol only improves at home to Elche in this League. Unflattering numbers that also have to do with the sports model they practice, beyond what they publicly defend. While 17 Zubieta players have participated in Real this season, Espanyol has only five homegrown players in the first team, a historically low figure.
