[FM18] Name a pitch badder than Badalona

[Diego Imposta]

107.

As I pulled into the carpark on Thursday, my heart was racing. What a beautifully designed stadium.

A man was waiting for me outside and he introduced himself as Noel Mata. He was press officer for the club and, after shaking my hand and welcoming me, he showed the back page of the newspaper.

Imposta takes charge at Badalona. I quickly scanned it, smiling in disbelief, about the mention of my famous cup success at Olot and how I will no doubt be hoping to bring similar success in stepping up to a bigger club. Noel had certainly done his job so I shook his hand again. He motioned to the door.

The pitch was breath-taking. Perfect geometry of a pitch not quite twice long as it is wide. This was a pitch for tight passing moves in the opposition half with the option of releasing the ball to the wings. The sea of blue seats was mesmerising, my eye immediately drawn to my left. The main side of the ground had a roof and had seating double the depth of the rest of the ground. Glass-walled offices were sandwiched in between, and Noel led me into the belly of the beast so I could take in the view.

I had been here once before, of course, but never beyond the changing rooms or the dugout. There was something special about seeing an empty stadium on a hot summer’s day. The excitement of a new season was infectious. With the financial crisis at Santa Eulalia and Olot’s relegation, I could pick off the cream of the crop, if they wanted to join me. First I had to look at who would be reporting for duty on Monday week and spending ten days bedding in was the best possible start I could ask for.

Miguel Ángel Sánchez was ineffable. In welcoming me to the stadium, he explained that it has to be a treat to come here. He conducted all interviews and transfer business in his new downtown office.

I was really looking forward to working with this club and achieving big things. I blushed and told him that I appreciated him taking time out of his busy schedule to welcome me in person. He said it was no problem. It was his club for the last six years and gleefully told me that this coincided with a run where fierce rivals Atlética Gramanet were always in a lower division. I must not forget about them.

The chairman explained that the club was the other side of their peak during his time here, but the infrastructure meant that they bounced back at the first attempt following their fourteen-year spell in the Segunda B3. The club spent the previous twenty or so years yo-yoing in quality in the Tercera and even dropping out on a few occasions. The last time, in the early 2000s, they followed relegation from the Tercera with relegation from the Primera Catalana. Due to economic problems the club had nearly folded but this saw the club merge with another in order to consolidate in the league system.

Back to back Tercera wins saw them return to the Segunda B3 but not before winning the cup that I had won with Olot - an incredible feat for a non-league team. So, there was a winsome history here.

The regional sway of this club was a far cry from local outfits I had managed and I hoped that I was up to the task. I was already more pragmatic than when I started out, and in four months I would be a qualified manager. I might even get another course in before the end of the season if it goes well.

Albert Cámara was a bit of a legend in these parts too, the chairman said. He had made nearly 300 appearances and scored over 50 goals but it should have stayed that way. Miguel Ángel Sánchez said he promoted him from assistant to take control of the team in his inaugural year but a disappointing finish in the league saw him leave. He would never make a sentimental decision again. It was an ice-cold warning for me and no mistake. I asked where Cámara is now. Tercera Catalunya. I see. You do.

He then handed me a list of transfer targets. He’d signed them all for me. What? Yes, they will report to training a week on Monday. A present for you. Did this come out of the budget we agreed? Well, yes Diego, in the interview you did say you could work with a smaller budget, so I’ve made it smaller. That maniacal grin. This was starting to feel very, very odd. But just look at the empire he had built!

Trying to change the subject I asked when I can meet the staff. He blinked. You’ve met them. He was perplexed. I am the club, Diego. Sure, I have a doctor – I’m not a medical professional – and I have a press officer, because the press are dogs. I was nodding yes but I was thinking this guy’s a sociopath.

Am I allowed to bring my own staff in? It was crazy that I had to ask but I did anyway. Of course! I’m not a megalomaniac by any means Diego. If you can halve the wage bill then you can bring in anyone you like. Halve?! He sat up straight. Relax. I have delivered the return to B3 on my own. I sacked the men who brought us to the Tercera and I delivered the return to B3 on my own. I have given you all the things you will need to keep us here so you can then focus on the coaching that you do so well.

Wait, what about the last manager? The reason the job was freshly available? What had happened to him? He left for Burgos, Diego. That was a year ago. I didn’t need a manager to get my team out of the Tercera Catalunya. I bought my way out. Before I could question whether he was paying off the referees and other chairman he said he paid better wages than anyone else could afford. All of a sudden I felt like a mercenary just like the rest of them. On the face of it, all was still rosy. I need air.

I got up and pushed the glass door open. I surveyed the land that was my new home. It was a bowl dug in to the ground. Out in the devil’s heat, I resolved to embrace the chairman’s calculated façade.

[Diego Imposta]

108.

With a large draft beer on the table, one of the perks of the job, I burned the midnight oil. I asked for the floodlights to be turned on tonight so I could see the gorgeous stadium while I worked. I’d come a long way from the amateur grounds of my previous jobs and I was determined to stay here longer.

2018’s fans player of the year Eduardo Cortina was also top scorer in the relegation season. He was on loan from Oviedo B at the time but had now been released from his first season going it alone at La Hoya, where he failed to replicate the form that got him the move in the first place. I’d monitor it.

Their oldest appearance maker and goal scorer were intrinsically linked to me. The latter, one Ismael Moyano, gained the record against my Olot side while the latter, a José Miguel Morales, was now an out-of-work scout. I knew this because I brought him to do just that job at Olot last summer! Young goalkeeper Manel Gómez had been released despite his youngest player and clean sheet record but bad boy and assist king Juanjo Ciércoles was back from an AEK stint playing Europa League football.

Former vice-captain Miquel Robuste, who finished his career at Badalona following a spell at Rapid București, had it noted in his file that he would be interested in a youth development role in future.

There were a trio of deals that were pulled due to my signing and I made sure to check them out too.

Thankfully, the club regularly ran initiatives to find out what former players were up to each year. I’d enjoy reading about youngest scorer Rubén Enri, a striker at Espanyol B, and former left back Junior Firpo, who was still at Betis B, coming on loan here and not moving elsewhere since. Opportunities?

I went through the staff list of the cabal that earned relegation. To a man they had either moved on or were a close friend of erstwhile manager Manolo González – I wouldn’t be pursuing any of them. 

A number of players retired in the summer and gave advance notice of their interests in staying on in the game. Of these, David Malo and Curro were moving into scouting, while Borja Cantarutti aimed to cut his teeth in coaching the next generation of players. Dani Camacho liked a director of football role, and with Imanol Etxabe and Alejo Núñez I had a ready-made coach and assistant partnership. A vast number of players had been given the chop this summer and I’d have a job on tracking all their movements over the next few weeks. I need that scout partnership in the door as soon as possible.

I left instruction for Ádan to advertise all of these positions, even though I was well aware that they ran the risk of being false advertising. I had learnt the hard way at Santa Eulalia about fluid budgets.

The pre-season schedule was brutal – I had to cull the final trip. It was a pointless one in north-west Madrid. Five games in the first two weeks were staggered in such a way that I came up with the idea of a boot camp. No day off in the first fortnight. Military fitness every day. Then three weeks to train. I would bring the youngsters along for the first two weeks and then trim the squad to twenty-two.

[Diego Imposta]

109.

The second familiar name back in Catalunya and link back to Olot was Omar Márquez, agent of Yeray and Dembo Batchilly. Both had been released following relegation and I would love to bring them in. Márquez had already left a list of free agents with the chairman during the week so I’d monitor that. With around a hundred names split fairly evenly between players and staff, I had a dossier by dawn.

The transfer budget had taken a bruising – the scouting budget had to be doubled. Scouting players in the Segunda B3 was something I could do on my own. Badalona would have to think about where we have come from and where we are going, so I robbed one to pay for the other and made sure we had the money for a middle-tier package. This halved my transfer budget - just like the chairman did.

Big money was spent on Matías and Óscar Pardavilla at € 26K and € 29K respectively. Both had come from non-Catalan Tercera clubs – eyebrows were raised – and sat comfortably as the fourth and fifth highest earners at the club. This was on par with their new manager. I felt like I had clout at this club.

Matías was a pacey central midfielder who liked to kick and rush. At 26 he should be in the prime of his life but had under a hundred appearances for island teams Las Palmas B and Mensajero. He had a relegation to his name with the latter as of this summer although, in fairness, he had been maligned.

Óscar Pardavilla is a north-western left winger who had spent a year in Norway. He was also 26 and had been relegated in the summer with Conquense. It was fair to say that he had made a step up for every season since leaving Celta’s academy, although his seventh club in eight seasons did worry me.

The third signing irked me the most. David García is 33 years old and cost € 12K from Hospitalet! The attack-minded midfielder was known to me but never worth a transfer fee. Eleven years coming up through the divisions with Cornellà earned a move to Hospitalet and he repeated the trick there. It was well-known that he wanted to move into management so I felt that he was an insurance policy. He had his National C Licence ahead of me and would be an influential voice in the dressing room.

I made a mental note to wear a suit in front of my players and staff in order to reinforce hierarchy.

Néstor Querol was a highly influential key player and our vice-captain, too. At 31, he will be replaced by Pardavilla as the main left winger as the season progresses, but this will be carefully managed. As equally adept in midfield, the stalwart of the Valencian Community Tercera with five different clubs  made the step up to B3 with Saguntino and Querol earned a move to Badalona the year before last.

Joint top-earners Robert Simón and Sergi Maestre rounded out the trio of key players. The former is the resident local lad done good and was our speed daemon right-winger. Four years and four clubs away from his hometown club split his career but he came back at the same time as the vice-captain. He was a good age, 26 again, but was far behind the seniority stakes when up against the latter who was the current longest serving player. A defensive utility player most comfortable in midfield, the ex-La Masia player would begin his fifth year in a row here but had a season with us previous to that.

Goalkeeper Dani Lorenzo was an influential key player of that magical age, and must have been seen at the same Canary Islands and Madrid haunts that our chairman knows so well, having been signed on a free last summer from Conquense after spells at Mensajero and Las Palmas B. His understudy Richi Paz, also 26, played a similar amount of games last season, but had since been transfer listed.

Looking after them would be highly influential backup goalkeeper Carlos Saavedra who also joined last summer. Sharing the gloves in the Tercera was easy but the 34-year-old would have to accept a backup role this year. I’d prefer not to register the journeyman as a player due to his staff attributes.

Two further young goalkeepers, Antonio Martin and Álvaro Martín, had been signed last year but as neither had made the grade they had been listed for loan. At 22 and 21 they needed to play football.

Joan was a very promising 17-year-old centre back. Another local boy, he was yet to make his senior appearance but was handed a bumper contract by Miguel Ángel Sánchez in order to ward off suitors. Four more boys were given contracts and I’d look to use them where I could. Pedro Amador, signed from a fantastic debut season in the Valencian Tercera with Villajoyosa after his release from Sevilla, was capable of playing from centre back to central midfield. Jaime Plà was our gifted attack-minded teenager plucked from Cornellà after featuring 20 times but never making one start. He should have.

Utility defender Ángel Luis had signed from Real Madrid eighteen months ago and was joined by our homegrown talent of technical midfielder Miquel. Badalona’s future core was very promising to me.

Another eight teenagers made up the youth team but had yet to make it past pre-season’s inclusion.

Kilian Durán could play anywhere on the left but had found even less opportunity in the Tercera than in B3 so he was made available for loan by the chairman. At 21 he needed to be playing every week.

Adri Rivas was a 22-year-old striker from Espanyol’s academy. Having broke through for their B team in the B3 he earned a move to Badalona but found chances hard to come by in the same division. A promising season in the Tercera was cut short by an injury, but his determination was commended.

The other 12 players were signed in the summer and I would have to wait until after I’d slept to pore over them. With daylight on its way I decided to try and get back to the hotel room before it arrived.

I didn’t tidy up the paperwork – I wanted the chairman to see I’d put in the hours – but I did step out and survey the stadium from my fabulous vantage point. We had to hit the ground running this time.

Before I got into my car, I looked up and thanked my lucky stars.

[Diego Imposta]

110.

I tried to recall everyone on my morning run. Simón on the right with Maestre in the middle, pulling the strings. I guess we’d have to try Querol in the hole rather the left wing, as new winger Pardavilla would hold that. Second signing Matiás would be the engine linking the two and the insurance policy David García would fill in for all three. The young striker Rivas would look to make his mark from the bench. Lorenzo would be between the sticks, with Saavedra in reserve, and Joan would be our rock.

To my surprise, I was still the first to work. A large americano at the desk to start. It was a large open office with the desk in the middle of the room, facing out to the stadium. Glass-fronted, frosted glass opposite, and sparsely shelved walls to complete the set. It was modern but lacking a stylist’s touch.

It was then that I realised we had a crisis at centre-back. We didn’t have any! Of all the signings the chairman made, the most important was neglected. An unforgivable blind spot. He’d signed no less than eight players who could play full-back. The man was certifiable. Maestre would have to adapt and see out at least six months at the back, partnered with Joan. Their deputies were capable but a concession all the same. Sergi Segura was a towering left-back by trade by a short stint in the middle at Navalcarnero, just outside Madrid, meant the 23-year-old was spotted by Miguel Ángel Sánchez. Imanol Aguiar was a short winger who was good with the ball at his feet. At 33 he had to accept his role as a right back in B2 as time went on, but his career in Basque country was over so he moved on down to Hospitalet. Without an appearance all season he was obviously against uprooting again. The chairman had convinced him to sit on our bench instead and he would complete the four-man team.

Only two men could only play left-back so their positions were secure. Rubén Muñoz, 31, decided a year in the north-west with Compostela was too much and he was back at Badalona. A career in the Madrid Tercera was ended when he decided to go for it in professional football the year before last. He would play a bigger role to start with despite Uri, 31, being a known Catalan with Castelldefels.

29-year-old Cristian was a solid pick at right back. Ten years in the north-west was a great experience but now he’d leave behind that security for one last payday. He came up from the Tercera played B1 for the last five years. His deputy would be 21-year-old Gonzalo Ávila, an Espanyol wantaway winger.

Dani Cabanillas was the senior striker at the club, signed from Navalcarnero too, who spent a career in the hunt for goals. We’d be his eighth club in as many years, which included a short spell in Malta.

Dani Montero would provide back-up on the left wing. The Aragón Tercera stalwart changed clubs every year and I could expect the left-back to make scant appearances given his recent poor records.  

Luis Carlos was the support at right wing and at 28 had a wealth of a career in the Valencian Tercera, although he was yet to make the step up to professional football since dropping out at Valladolid. A predominantly left-sided player he was versatile enough to be first reserve on the right, biding time.

Álex was an attacker but at 28, was yet to nail down double figures in a single season. A mercenary! He’d provide auxiliary support in the hole and to a lesser extent the wings and up front. David García would find his place in the middle of the park and first eleven after all. I wanted two for every space.

Jaime Moreno was the icing on the cake. With a decent reputation in the game, the 35-year-old was a class act even though his wing days were behind him. As another signing from Bouzas with Cristian, the veteran could play anywhere in midfield and would surely cement a starting role eventually. Left winger Ramón Masó, 31, could also play midfield and would too provide cover for the paid transfers.

4-4-1-1 was the order of the team but it was a far cry from Santa Eulalia’s tailoring it to two fantastic players. These players were all strangers, so we’d start small and build a model of play in pre-season.

I was planning to assess training and match performances, of course, but a structure to start from at least gave the impression that I knew what I was doing. With the squad the way it was we were over on our over-23 count by three men anyway – something had to give. I wasn’t planning to get shot of any of the men we’d just signed but a number of them would be given enough rope over pre-season.

Local boy Simón, vice-captain Querol, and longest-serving player Maestre were surely exempt. That left goalkeepers Lorenzo and Saavedra, who would need to be replaced in kind. That just won’t do. I resolved to swing the axe swiftly and ruthlessly on three newer players before the window was shut.

Durán was technically still registered – Joan was exempt due to his age – but I wanted to harbour at least hope in the man as I would look to use all 38 players during our five games. It wasn’t enough to get them fit but I would formulate a plan to have a second pre-season during the three week period afterwards. I would be honest with the player from the start – treat this like an international squad that needs to be culled ahead of a tournament. Luis Carlos may not feature at all due to a hip injury.

As I thought about the process we had to go through to get this team to gel, it occurred to me that I may not get the time I need. We were not predicted to fall foul of relegation but we certainly were not thought of as getting anywhere near the top ten. If I really wanted to improve on 8th it’d take a phenomenal effort or a change of clubs – something I wasn’t willing to entertain lest my reputation as a floosy torpedo my career. No, the battle was to stay here and build on the mistakes of a maniac.

As the job adverts went out, I wondered who from the dossier would have the balls to apply. I would wait first and foremost for an assistant…

[Diego Imposta]

111.

When I was told that the opening two weeks would see us based in Barcelona for ten days, I called a secretary at Íscar and asked to rearrange the friendly. I’d bring it forward to round off the fortnight. I wanted to keep them away from home, and together as a squad, for the full fitness regime to come.

On Friday morning, Noel Mata ushered me into his office to talk over my press commitments. There was a problem. My return to the area had kicked joe.co.uk into life. They had sent a representative down to interview me. His name was Alfie Smith. I had to warn Noel about the pitfalls of this cretin.

That afternoon the journalist was let in to the building – he was blown away just as I was. Noel had clearly been cautious with him as he gave him a tour of the stadium. I knew this because I watched from my vantage point. I was enjoying this! I made sure Alfie could see me watching his every move.

A knock at the door, and the two men came in. Noel would join us with tacit agreement that I could skip any question I want. He shook my hand, congratulated me, and sat down. I think he respected me but in a way that was self-serving. His opening gambit was about the club – how Badalona clearly had lofty ambitions – but put a sting in it asking if I was the right man for the job. It was easier to be calm with the press officer by my side, so I praised the chairman for what he had built here. I wanted to put pressure on myself to deliver short-term results. As the topic of transfer was broached, I took a look at Noel and with a shake of his head I cautiously responded that I was happy with my squad.

He had picked up on the interest in Joan from Nàstic but I told him that I would do everything in my power to keep him here. What I didn’t tell him is that I would be mad to cross the boss on day two.

A pleasant half an hour, talking about Olot mainly, concluded the meeting and Alfie was gone. I held talks with the press officer and chairman separately about how things had gone and they were both on board. The chairman then mentioned that one of his targets was about to be transferred and we should get in their first. My heart didn’t sink, I just wanted to know where he was going with this. He knew I’d know nothing about the player, 15, so I thought of it as a test. Sure, why not. I’ll call him up.

He would move for the pre-arranged contract only. He had just been relegated from a non-affiliated under 19s side and was about to join another near Valencia if I didn’t match their offer. It was one of the easiest deals I’ll ever make in my life. I would expect him to sign in a few days and join the camp.

Juanjo Ciércoles decided to stay in Greece after all. I thanked our former card-magnet for letting the club know. Llagostera went in for one of the other two targets but they were over 23 so we let them.

A number of players from my dossier were moving on now and the weekend came to a close. There was not a lot I was willing to do without any staff in place. I’d have to wait and see. Newly returned youth sides Valencia Mestalla and Villarreal B would offer real competition for signings. My chairman was keen to report that we had sold half of the expected 500 season tickets already this summer. I would hope for bigger attendances here than at Santa but lower-mid table would put that in doubt.

The club doctor, Gorka Garcíá, arrived to say Ávila was now fit and could join the 30-man camp. 30?! Only the better youths would join us in the city.

[Diego Imposta]

112.

The new Éjica manager had his ear to the ground and went in for 15 -year-old Fran Romero. They had a hell of a job on to survive B4 so the lad may even get games there. I didn’t want to miss out.

I didn’t. The midfielder was tiny in person but a determined little sort. He’d report back in a week.

Ádan Vega was working overtime as my assistant, reporting back on every move he could find news about. I couldn’t bring myself to stop scout Morales from leaving Olot to join Linares in the south.

The second weekend was a quiet affair. I was used to the dressing room, my office, the dugout, and the press room. I had walked every step of this quiet stadium in ten days and tomorrow it got loud.

I was interested to see Alberto Berrocal’s CV on my desk. The fitness coach I had brought to Olot had kept his job with Libya and had the potential to open up scouting streams in west Africa. I was in two minds about it and decided to wait until I had an assistant to talk it over with. Ádan reported that of all the players, five were in superb condition. Power trio Querol, Simón, and Maestre were examples that goalkeeper Lorenzo and young striker Rivas followed. Mario Peña introduced himself as liaison officer and asked me to come and meet the players. They were in the dressing room waiting for me.

In a change of tact, I cautiously entered the room and told them who I was. Simón was affable, and showed his seniority, by saying that my reputation would only increase if I met expectations here. I explained how despite what some people say, I was confident we wouldn’t be battling relegation.

I was taken aback by their response. Simón said that expectations had more ambition and it seemed the rest of the squad had come here on a promise of more. I think, taking their collective responses into account, that we should be aiming for mid-table if everyone can show this much ambition. The reaction to that was perfect – to a man they were all delighted, being pushed to do better. It begins.

The bus was waiting outside, impeccably kitted out, as my personal assistant wanted to create a first impression the players wouldn’t forget. We were on our way to Tafalla tonight. We’d go through the road to Zaragoza but stop short before Pamplona. For the third time in a row they’d bounced back at the first attempt to B2. Former Olot manager Arnau Sala, who took Perelada down, had just come in.

Paz, the transfer-listed ‘keeper, would round out the 23-man matchday squad and Dúran got a spot in the camp due to Carlos’s injury. He had to impress me, or other managers, if he wanted a career. He was unfortunate to be used on the right having never played there before but in that first session he showed that he was the only player equally capable with both feet, grasping a fascinating lifeline.

It was warm. 30°C. The air was breezy, and the stadium was akin to Olot or Santa Eulalia. Small-time.

In the absence of a nominated captain, Querol would lead us out. He would have to audition for the role given the standing of Simón and Maestre. We were in our yellow change strip and I hoped that Simón would shine brightest.

[Diego Imposta]

113.

Under the floodlights I was reminded of my first night at the club. The players were briefed ahead of the match about who would start and who will come on. Every man apart from Paz will get minutes.

Go out there and show me what you’ve got. There are places up for grabs, impress me. They seemed keen to do just that. It was far too early for that kind of talk but my assertive tone got them thinking.

We kicked off and at least kept the ball moving for the first twenty seconds. Maestre gave in and put a ball up top for Cabanillas to chase. It was nowhere near him and it showed a long road to cohesion.

The first strike on goal came from Tafalla on two minutes, narrowly going over from a clearance well read by Maestre. I encouraged the players to keep at it after five minutes. I didn’t want to see them roll over. Joan blocked an ambitious shot from range soon after and the home side had their corner.

Cabanillas cleared from the near post and although we held firm, we were struggling to get the ball.

We’d try and play out from the back as Querol was getting bypassed and Cabanillas wasn’t a runner. Tafalla had the opposite idea and very nearly caught us over the top from a central defender’s hoof!

A deep and wide free-kick from Simón in the 25th minute met the head of Maestre and he did well to get it on target. The ‘keeper was awake to it and took the ball to the ground. He should have scored.

I thought a bit of praise would go a long way – we were now the match of the hosts. Cabanillas was working his socks off with his back to goal but we kept looking for that killer ball. Again the ball over the top found Barbero one-on-one. Lorenzo stood firm and pushed the ball wide. Where was Joan?

I shouted how we needed to work the space. Keep hold of the ball in the final third – just be patient.

David García went agonisingly close, taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Pardavila was in the game now and wove a sweet run down the left trying to find the head of our striker but it didn’t fall.

Just as the game ticked into added time Cabanillas caught a boot to the face and it cut him open. It was an unfortunate end to his half and I just hoped the doctor could stitch him up before he fainted.

Well-known Jaime Moreno would captain the second-half side. I had nothing specific to say to them.

A great stop from Saavedra sprung us into action. He parried a well-worked corner routine shot past the post on two minutes and once it was cleared, Moreno headed on to Rivas who turned and found himself with the whole Tafalla half to run into. Instead, he panicked and shot wide from a distance.

Another gashed head, this time for the recently returned Ávila. It wasn’t his face so he’d stay on the pitch. I’d tell them all to calm down. It happens and they’re trying to rile us up. Durán was making an excellent addition on the right, cutting in on the left naturally and creating space. Moreno then hit a lovely ball for Rivas, unmarked in the box. Again he panics – a first-time volley straight at the ‘keeper and out for a corner. It was offside anyway so he has to learn the hard way. We were getting better.

Shorter passing was needed. We were close but couldn’t quite turn on 20-metre passes like I hoped. I demanded more from them when we ceded the ball even more. Segura nearly headed in a corner.

We had to slow it down. The lack of cohesion was a problem but this game would be won or lost in the last ten minutes. Ávila, replete with bandaged head, took a throw-in to Álex. In one touch it went inside to Durán, back to Ávila, and deep into the box. The ball was lost and Moreno worked so hard to get it back but again Ávila lost it. His head injury had really affected his decision making. They got in behind again but again wasted their finishing. With three minutes added time I prayed we held on.

With a long ball into the channel from Tafalla, the game was over. As I entered the dressing room I told the men assembled that I’m not paying attention to results right now. It was a softer suggestion that this wasn’t good enough. This match was more important as an exercise to build towards the first match of the season. They looked to be in positive spirits because of this. We showered and left.

Garcíá advised on the bus that it would take a couple of days for the head injuries to heal. They will be ok for the game at Estadi de Montigalà, though. My first home game was against the Basque club Arenas Club, a mid-table B2 side at best. It was Bolo’s first job in management and his experience in La Liga with Rayo would put them in good stead. What kind of side I’d put out was anyone’s guess…

In one of the strangest turns of coincidence I may ever experience, the resumé of Martín Posse was on my desk. He wanted to be my assistant! I could have a mentor, at last. This would be the perfect way to forge ahead in my career but I had to do the other candidates justice and judge each of them.

Migue, the recently retired Sabadell captain, interested me. His bark was worse than his bite but he had experience of promotions and relegations so he’d know when to pick his moment. His defensive coaching came naturally and he was a Segunda División stalwart with Girona – he was a Catalan too.

Posse, as a player, was a winner. His strong trophy cabinet and a willingness to stay in Catalunya told me all I needed to know. My thoughts turned to Rotchen, now at Valladolid B, who had escaped the madness here but Posse hadn’t. He was no coach, but what a man to have around. In demand, too!

I would have to offer him a two-year deal as he offered to provide proof that teams were interested in his services as a manager, including Olot. We both chuckled. I liked him already. I can’t accept any break clauses, though, Martín. I’ll be in touch, Diego.

[Diego Imposta]

114.

We trained hard in the heat. Ávila was excluded on doctor’s orders, so young Pedro Amador was told he would be reserve right-back for this game. The chairman had signed him as a defensive player for the middle but he had to adapt if he wanted inclusion, just like Durán on the right instead of his left.

Playing out from the back and working the ball into the box had curtailed our wilder moments so we would continue with that from the off. I wasn’t so sure that a short passing game or a lower tempo is what we need just yet so I held that back. There was nothing to distinguish Lorenzo and Saavedra so each would play a half again. Cristian would retain the full-back spot by default ahead of Amador, as would Muñoz due to Uri’s yellow card and general poor impression. Segura’s superb showing in the second half put him ahead of Joan, at just 17, who was maybe a bit too exposed alongside Maestre.

Masó had just been a lot more tough than Matias. I’d put the transfer fee on the bench. At left wing, Montero looked very poor indeed so Pardavilla kept his place. Simón had been superb so sub Durán would have to wait a little longer for a start. Moreno was still required as second-half captain but in truth I was already having thoughts about playing him and David Garcíá together in the middle two.

Rivas had panicked so much that Cabanillas would lead the line again. The floodlights were on again.

With the nerves palpable in the dressing room, I told them to concentrate on building their fitness to a standard that I can work with. Focus on your performance and I’ll be happy. Look after each other.

Cabanillas again kicked us off, the majority of our season ticket holders looking on. Inside 12 seconds he had hit the post. A ball over the top from Pardavilla, himself played in by Segura, found the lone striker and he was away inside the box. Expertly shooting low and across the ‘keeper, he was gutted to be so unlucky. With complacency creeping in soon after I barked the need to concentrate. It was not won yet. We kept our heads but with nothing on I told them to take more risk - find the striker.

We did the opposite, and as the rain came out of nowhere, Masó lost the ball high up the pitch. The three men up top for Arenas broke against our two central defenders but our fullbacks recovered it.

We had to be more creative so I asked for it – we were bossing possession but doing nothing with it. Still we left ourselves open to balls over the top and still we created nothing going forward. We had to stop playing it out from the back. All of a sudden Querol and Cabanillas had a new lease of life and the forward put was through from a deep Arenas throw-in. We did ever so well so hound it back and were it not for a complete lack of support, the side-netting finish under intense pressure would have been a different chance entirely. We had been much better in this half but this hung on a knife edge.

We’ve been the better team here, just keep doing what you’re doing and we’ll be fine. No changes.

Arenas took the lead after two minutes! A corner from Matador was worked passed outside the box to Félix, who passed it back to the kicker. No-one tracked the runner and he beat Lorenzo at his near post on the half-volley. Where had the passion gone? A Masó booking showed it was still there but it was being used terribly. The resulting free-kick from Matador whistled over the bar. We’d push high up the field to try and squeeze the space enjoyed by Arenas since their switch to 4-4-1-1 from 4-3-3.

Amador and Durán were on for Cristian and Simón on the right, while Matías came on for the carded Masó. An excellent run inside from Durán resulted in a shot but Querol was offside. He’d been poor.

Moreno, Álex, and Rivas were on for David García, Querol, and Cabanillas who had all faded from the game. I begged them to finish with a flurry. I knew they were tired but they had to win the ball back!

Montero, Uri, and Aguiar came on to help us do just that, while Pardavilla, Muñoz, and Maestre sat back on the bench. It was a worrying performance from the entire team and it only got worse from there. Trying to chase the ball caused us all sorts of problems and a long ball from right back Palero found Josito completely unmarked – Aguiar had lost him for pace – and he took it down and belted it into the roof of the net. There was immediate passion from the kick-off and Rivas worked his way in the left channel. He held it up in the corner for Montero to catch up, play it square to Moreno, free to Álex only to see his shot blocked and cleared back to the goalkeeper. Durán fired wide soon after.

It was 0-3 in the 96th minute. Another corner routine that we failed to deal with. Cid’s cross headed down by Nemesio and volleyed in by Pérez. With Álex flattened from kick-off, the ref blew to finish.

I was aggressive in the dressing room. I was not happy with that result. You’ve made us look fools. The statistics were appalling. Eight shots, none on target. They had nine shots, three on target and we lose 0-3? Well let me tell you right now – for league rules three of you mercenaries have to leave.

Their faces were a picture. We will send you out on loan, so I hope you can all afford to move again!

After the game the chairman moved to bring in a director of football. No-one had applied so he took it upon himself to bring in Óscar Álvarez, brother of Quique Álvarez, to handle transfers in and out. I couldn’t say no so I didn’t. The man used to manage Llagostera when I began my career and was a La Masia graduate. He’d been a scout for them previous to that and ended his playing career there too. He was considered a model professional and was a student of the 3-5-2 – surely I was happy with it?

The next morning I got a call from Packie Dixon asking the same. I heard myself say I was delighted…

Liar.

[Diego Imposta]

115.

I went straight home after the game. I’d have to meet Álvarez in the morning, if only to let him know how this was going to work. I would have final say on all transfers he suggested, and he would have to get rid of all players I said had to go. He will update me on the players our scouts find and that’s it. This really was terrible timing by the chairman. The last thing I wanted right now was a new director.

The phone rang. It was Martín Posse. He was at the game, too. A man after my own heart – possibly my job. What did he think? What could he possibly think after seeing that? Well, they’re a bunch of strangers, Diego, so forget about the result. I’ll sort them out in the morning. With that he hung up.

Fantastic, I thought. A real Argentinean workhorse. I couldn’t wait to see what he had to say. Over a long drink I formulated a plan for his duties. Quite simply, he would be my second set of eyes. I’d ask for his opinion on absolutely everything – that’s what a mentor is for – but I’d need some rest first.

The dossier was planted on the desk. Álvaro, I need these reports done within a month. We must get a knowledge base before the season kicks off. Two of them are not in the country, so Martín here is jetting off to France and Greece sometime this week. This is a one-off, so don’t get jealous. I grinned.

As a club-captain of sorts, Martín immediately advised that the players were sick as dogs after just a week’s fitness. Drop it down a notch as your big three are complaining already. After one session he saw what I saw – Rivas as a winger and Segura as a centre-back – but I’d hold fire until they were fit.

Tactically, he didn’t want us to get turned over again at home – Girona were next – so he asked if he could put his stamp on it. The full-backs needed to defend only, he said. We have good enough men in front who should be given the freedom to play as wingers. Too many poor balls over the fullback.

I disagreed with most of the changes he did want to make because it was too risky. Almost all of our central players were being crowbarred into positions they weren’t overly comfortable with. It wasn’t even likely that we’d keep this shape for the season. This week is about fitness and seeing who rises to the top and who needs to be shoved out the door. With Álex out with a gashed leg from the day’s session, young boy Plà got the nod to sit on the bench today. It was a position he was used to, sadly.

It was time to look at the host of applications on my desk. I’d look for a head of youth development first and see how far the budget would go. Every one of them had recently retired from playing so it was a big gamble. I had to get it right so I spent the afternoon agonising over it while Posse took the training session. There was one standout candidate and he barely spoke a word of Castillian let alone Catalan. Enzo Marchese, a veteran of Stuttgarter Kickers in the south-west of Germany lower league, finished his playing career at Atlético Baleares and had stuck around on the mainland getting licence after licence. With his Italian heritage it would be an easy enough transition as he was obviously very keen to become a manager in his own right one day. I’d look to get a goalkeeper and fitness coach in as well this week but we’ll take it one appointment at a time, just in case that budget collapses from underneath me. The two men to play 90 minutes, Lorenzo and Segura, would start from the bench.

Neither had done a lot wrong but Posse liked the look of Joan – he had to play.

[Diego Imposta]

116.

I encouraged the players and told them that we are huge underdogs. This is now a La Liga side that you are playing against, so there’s no pressure from us to win. Get out there, show everyone what you’ve got, and do yourselves proud. I motioned to Posse to take over and he reiterated the same to a quartet of players – his way of saying who should not be in this side. Saavedra, David Garcíá, Masó, and Cabanillas were the unlucky few. It was soaking wet at Montigalà again tonight. Damn the gods!

As we walked out of the tunnel the crowd astounded us. There must be two or more thousand here.

We kept it nice and tight in the first five minutes. I reminded them that there was no pressure – the first five minutes was an awful long time in football and their heads would be buzzing. It was great to see us keep the ball so well. Querol really was showing his experience in these tense opening stages.

It was Masó that let us down. His errant pass and poor tracking let the switch ball happen and luck was on our side for Arimany’s header, which flew over the bar. We really struggled with possession.

A rare attack was again cut short with a wayward pass from Masó and the lighting quick attack of the three men up front really hurt us. Eventually Mila cut in from the left, played it square to the other side of the box and Exteberria hit a thunderbolt from outside the box. Sensational from the fullback.

Excellent work from Cabanillas with his back to goal fed Simón down the right. His run and cross met Querol but the header was straight at the ‘keeper. It was promising, if only to serve how trying to get the ball into the box wasn’t working. We had to abandon patience. Exteberria had to be shut down.

At half time we told the team to go out there and play with freedom – there were no expectations.

I reiterated the need for creativity once they had settled. We were getting penned in again and with Posse’s help we tried to change it. He wanted to hit two players hard and I said hit eleven of them! I took Masó off for Matías and David García for Moreno, who would come on as captain. Querol took his time coming off in order for Plà to prepare for his season debut. It was a big occasion for the lad.

With a bit of encouragement came a further triple substation. The wingers and striker were off for their replacements and I hoped we could hound the Girona defence for another off-chance at goal.

Girona were so professional in dealing with our burgeoning attacks. They knew how to defend. This defence gave them licence to attack, and a wonderful knock from Exteberria released Alejo down on our right. He beat his man, whipped a cross in, and found Depoitre in the six-yard box to head it in.

Uri, Aguiar, and Amador were on for the final fifteen minutes. Maestre in particular looked shattered but Cristian had been booked, as with Pardavilla before, so he had to come off too. Muñoz, who had cleared one off the line, needed the rest. We’d push higher up to give the fresh legs some defending.

Matías and Moreno were growing in to the game and set up a nice chance for Rivas to have a shot. It was no goal but it would have done his confidence a world of good. It was a brilliant move and little Plà was involved. A minute later he stole the ball off a centre-back and had a shot well saved. Great!

Saavedra kept it respectable in injury time as the Girona fitness levels won out. Luckily this was only a friendly, I said. Performances will need to be much better than that in competitive matches. It got Querol’s goat but the rest of the team were charged up and determined to do better.

[Diego Imposta]

117.

On reflection, Posse pointed out that we were actually better against Girona than Arenas Club. Good chances were created and they were on a crest of a wave after promotion. We can tweak things this week – we just needed to decide who would be playing and take it from there. We headed back to Barcelona and prepared the troops for a few days in the southern Valencian community. First up was amateur team Torrevieja where the second eleven would get a start, then Tercera stalwarts Elche B.

There were fundamental changes needed up front. We hadn’t scored any goals. Cabanillas would be tasked with pushing the line forward rather than playing with his back to goal. He was capable but it was a lot more work than he was used to. Rivas would be a little more adaptable at his age but still.

At full-back, we had severely limited skillsets on the left and adept attacking abilities on the right. So after discussing the topic with Posse and Álvarez, experienced managers in their own right, we came to the conclusion that our left winger too needs to be getting into that box as soon as possible. This was to give two options for a marauding right back to cross to. The central trio would take a bit more time to figure out – right now it was anyone’s guess who would play against Castellón in September.

Enzo Marchese was in the door and it was clear the chairman would put his money where his mouth is. He offered to pay for Catalan lessons for the German and knew of a 13-week course to help him. I would take defending and goalkeeping duties in training and he would have to run the rest for now. This would be the same arrangement with Posse for the first team until we had our other coaches in.

I contacted Berrocal and worked out the details of him coming to join us. He was effective and easy to work with. Libya had narrowly missed out on qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations in a group containing South Africa and Nigeria – clearly he was part of something special going on in that team.

After talking through the uninspiring list of goalkeeper coaches with Miguel Ángel Sánchez, who was in the office at the other end of the floor, he said leave it to him. I know just the guy, he said. Within a couple of hours he came in and sat down. There is a man in Greece that would like to come home.

Jonathan started his career at Valencia Mestalla and had his breakthrough season at just 18. Three years later he had been loaned to the division above, such were his performances. He turned out for Numancia and then Oviedo in the following season before returning to Mestalla who got relegated.

Two years in the south at Córdoba in B4 earned him two years in the Segunda División, a bit closer to home in Albacete. Further single season stints in the south at Roquetas in B4 then Burgos up north in B1 showed his willingness to travel. He moved to Veroia in Greece for two years, came back to sit on Getafe’s La Liga bench for a year and went back to Veroia for a further two years. He dropped down a division to Apollon Pontou and called it a day after winning promotion. He was definitely my sort…

[Diego Imposta]

118.

Ávila was fit for the trip to Torrevieja but fielding a second string wasn’t cut and dried. Maestre had been poor last time out, worryingly so, and so we would try yet another partnership at the back. In came Aguiar to partner our longest serving player who would now be moved to the left. Segura had to move to the right with Joan tucked beside him for the game at Elche B two days later. Lorenzo’s chances took a battering with Saavedra’s heroics so he had to do well here. Uri was looking like B3 was a step too far at this stage in his career so he had to impress today or face being unregistered.

Masó cut a lost figure against Girona but he is a left-sided player by trade so he starts here again to audition with Uri’s for a place in the 22, as would Montero who was really struggling from left wing.

With David García out for one or two days with a twisted knee, Moreno would captain the side but make way for local lad Miquel in the latter stages. I was pleased to be able to call on these starlets.

Plà would start in the hole after his ace showing with Álex still out and Rivas would lead the line too.

If we play our game, we’ll win. You’re all very capable of that. Posse then put his arm around Plà’s shoulder and told him there’s no pressure – he just needed to go and play his natural game tonight.

Rivas was offside after 13 seconds. This is exactly the sort of run I was after and I was delighted that Ávila spotted it. With their Brazilian box formation, the home side were not giving chances up easy.

Aguiar fancied his chances with a 20-metre free-kick and it dipped onto the roof of the net. Montero was down a minute later. He had to come off. Pardavilla didn’t have a lot to prove for me so it was a little disappointing to send him on so early. With the team looking for their rhythm, Torrevieja went ahead. Pardavilla hadn’t tracked his man and right back Eduard was away. He didn’t even need to beat Uri – he swung a cross in between the centre backs and Jacobo headed it toward goal. Lorenzo did the rest and pushed it into the side netting but the wrong side of the post. Where was Aguiar?

A raking ball from Pardavilla dissected the home side’s back line. Rivas was through, collected the angled ball, and gifted it to the goalkeeper to parry wide. What a chance wasted. Plà took the game by the neck and dinked a wonderful ball into the path of Rivas. Again he took his touch but missed.

You have to turn it around in the second half. I expect nothing less than win. Posse was apoplectic.

It was 0-2 immediately. Lorenzo again beaten at his near post! Edgar was beyond the back two and somehow got on the end of a hopeful ball from Fran. Our defence was all at sea. This was atrocious.

Rivas, spurred on for my demands for passion, headed Masó’s free-kick straight at the goalkeeper. If only he wasn’t under 23 – I couldn’t afford to train him up right now. At least they were still running.

Finally, Rivas scored. He killed a ball into the hole from Pardavilla on his chest, stuck it out to Durán and went on a run. The left-footed right winger found him, he took a touch, then another and lofted it over the ‘keeper from a tight angle. Aguiar, awful, was off for Segura and Plà for Querol – I wanted the win. We’d close them down and go for it. Segura was tremendous from the off. He started it all.

Pardavilla hit the post from a terrific run after being put through by Rivas, himself getting the ball off our tall centre-back. We were much, much better now with the captain on the field. We went for it.

Querol headed in the equaliser, beautifully peeling off to the far post once Pardavilla had got a cross in from the left after beating his man. Two minutes later Rivas volleyed a hell-for-leather shot right at the goalkeeper from another teasing Pardavilla cross. The power took it over the bar for a corner!

Matías, Simón, and Cabanillas were on for their attacking qualities. We were on top, the front foot.

For the last ten minutes I wanted us to work one clear opportunity. Just one would win us the game. Ávila, Uri, and Moreno were given a rest. The fullbacks Cristian and Muñoz were on, Miquel for some game time in pre-season. Simón then took a free-kick to the by-line and stood it up at the far post. I have never seen a better looping header back across goal – from central defender Maestre to boot.

With five minutes to go, we pushed and pushed. Simón devilishly nicked the ball that had been put all the way back to the left back and had the whole Torrevieja half to run into. Cabanillas was behind him and young Miquel was winning the race to get into the box. Simón used them both, the ‘keeper sold down the river and he rifled it in. An unbelievable goal from the winger – finally some quality.

What a comeback that was. A superb effort. I was proud of them and told them they should be too.

After the game, doctor García lamented the loss of Montero for two to three weeks. We both knew that right now he hadn’t done enough. Uri had done well in the end, and so did Masó. This would come down to the wire of Elche B. In terms of shape, we had learned that we needed to push up and close down more if we were to get any hope of supporting that solo striker. It was high risk indeed.

Posse took the tactical briefing – he was enjoying being here – and reminded them of what I expect.

Young Luís from Real Madrid was physically as good as any of the men here so he would be asked to fill in at left midfield – it would not be for long – as it meant minutes on tour for all five youngsters.

Paz would get the whole game in goal having patiently waited four games. Lorenzo did not inspire any confidence so lose his place in the 22 if Paz plays well. Only Moreno would keep his place with Maestre finally given a rest. Segura and Joan would play together at last.

[Diego Imposta]

119.

David García had surprisingly recovered enough to play – Moreno would be back on the bench. This was good news as I got to see a completely different eleven start just two days after that exhaustion.

It was a drizzly rain but moderate temperature. We were favourites for a reason, so I instructed the first eleven today to make sure Elche B were in no doubt as to why. I was worried about the bench.

A long clearance from David García playing someone into trouble was a footrace between Segura and their striker Portillo. Segura had more than enough to pace to martial the striker to shoot wide.

Joan wasn’t so lucky. He lost the forward who thankfully buckled under the pressure anyway and hit a wayward shot from further out than he needed to. We soon tightened up but couldn’t force a goal.

With neither goalkeeper having a save to make, it was a dreadful game of football to watch. Muñoz lumped a ball from left-back to engineer half-time but Cabanillas was away! His touch was poor, his shot even worse, and the referee blew the whistle. I told the dressing room that standards are set in these friendlies and they weren’t meeting them yet. The second half must be a lot better than that.

As we kicked off, Posse said that they looked ready to walk through walls. You need to be aggressive.

The wingers were so tired as to be ineffectual so they would come off. Not before back to back set pieces, though, and Cabanillas had a great shot saved from a corner. Simón’s cross was cleared and the home side were away. Neat switches petered out. Posse demanded more - we were vulnerable.

Portillo cleared a Cabanillas volley off the line! Segura did so well to head a corner down for him and it was surely only a matter of time before we scored. David García was tired and Moreno came on.

Masó, Plà, and Rivas were on next and despite our dominance I didn’t see a goal coming. I didn’t see Masó coming straight off with an injury either. Maestre was on in a more familiar midfield role and with that I took off both full-backs too. Segura and Joan were on course for a clean sheet by default.

We struggled to defend free-kicks in the last minutes and seriously gave up possession. One last roll of the dice saw Durán play a lovely blind pass through-ball to Plà from a deep Ávila throw-in in the last minute. He crossed along the ground for Rivas and he missed! Straight at the ‘keeper! Incredible.

Young Luís was unfortunate to give away possession deep into injury time and the ball over the top did for us. Cuevas, on for Portillo, lashed the shot at goal and Paz tipped it onto the post. It was one of those saves that he had no right to make. In that moment Lorenzo was dead to me. This guy had what I was after – concentration for 90 minutes. We just couldn’t clear our lines afterwards. Elche took the game to us – they smelled blood – and played on through a seventh minute of injury time.

Well, that’s why we play friendlies. Much improvement is needed ahead of our competitive fixtures. They looked fired-up, and so they should be getting off that lightly, but then came the news that the injury to Masó was a sprained ankle ligament.

[Diego Imposta]

120.

Now that the players were starting to get fit, we had to reward them. The trip to Madrid would see the best eleven players take to the field and the rigidity of two players for every position was gone.

I called around the local clubs and arranged a further four friendlies in the two weeks between our trip to Madrid and the start of the season. Midweek would be against lesser opposition, weekends for Primera Catalana teams just two divisions beneath us. It would be a chance to experiment, too.

Saavedra belied his years with solid performances in goal but Paz deserved a chance to earn a spot in that 22 so he will stay. Lorenzo had lost my confidence and, barring injury, was being jettisoned.

The only two senior players I had not seen would play – a half each for ‘keepers Martín and Vallés.

After a long breakfast discussion with Posse, we felt that we had not given Aguiar a chance. He had suffered at centre back, was never in danger of getting his favoured right-wing role, and that left us with one option. Cristian would be asked to play left-back like he did last season, Aguiar on the right.

The rest of the side was unchanged, bar a shift to 4-2-3-1 Wide to accommodate our greatest threat.

It was important to involve the youngsters, so Ávila would take right back role on the bench and the auxiliary centre-back Segura would be left back. Ángel Luis and Amador would cover central defence. Miquel and Plà could run the middle and the Rivas would be used at right wing, Durán earning left.

Did I have a goal-scorer at the club? I would try Álex up top on his own – the erstwhile Castellón man could be a secret weapon. With less appearances than his age, at 28 he was a total enigma. I liked it! Moreno, at 35, would be pushed slightly more forward into the hole to help Álex achieve my target.

Berrocal and Jonathan were in the door just in time – they’d have a place on the train to Íscar and could run the rule over the players ahead of our first post-training camp friendly. I now had enough coaches to keep us ticking along while I would be studying away but there was the small matter of a decent physio and a competent scout. I went in for old heads, local too, and waited for their answer.

It was great to catch up with Berrocal on the journey – he always had such amazing stories to tell – and between gloating about his Libya charges beating Nigeria at home, he spilled the beans about Olot. The club was eminently saveable but the players threw in the towel and went the last eight without a win. It was telling that only Blázquez, Carles Mas, Simón, Gutiérrez, Toril, and Giovanella stayed behind. It was a great core, no doubt, but the others had let their contracts run down quick.

This team selection should make a few of those left behind in a cold sweat. A good show from the young goalkeepers would put a massive spanner in the works for the trio back in Badalona. Worse still for left backs Muñoz, Uri, Montero, and Masó, there was a nagging doubt I did not need them.

The forgotten man in all of this, Luis Carlos, was a month away from fitness. Can I afford to gamble on him?

[Diego Imposta]

121.

Posse would take the team talks today and already he got the backing of Maestre and Querol. Íscar, to their credit, looked good in the opening minute. It was Madrid versus Barcelona in a special way.

Pardavilla had the ball in the net on six minutes but the flag had gone for offside. Our shape was now very good compared to last week. Gone were the stale patterns and here to stay were open passing lanes, both for and against us. Querol used his dribbling skills to force a save on eight minutes after great work from Cabanillas to spot him with a blind pass. The winger was loving his role in the hole.

For all of our possession we were losing it from the back and once we tightened that up, the game became shooting practice. Unfortunately, we weren’t very good at it. Time after time Benito got his hands to it. We were shamefully short of towering defenders for corners with Segura on the bench.

Maestre cracked the post from one such corner on 35 minutes and Pardavilla again mistimed his run in injury time to have a second goal ruled out. At half time we took off Aguiar due to a bruised head, Cristian followed and so did Vallés on for Martín in goal. I wouldn’t expect either would have to save.

Cabanillas was really struggling in front of goal today and the second half only got worse. However, he was adept at playing other people in despite being asked to stretch the lines. With eight minutes gone he broke his duck with a wonderful left-foot volley from a Simón cross. We had been dominant and it was all worked from Querol first-time to Pardavilla, up and over for the right wing and back in.

Three minutes later he doubled his tally, again linking well with Simón after good work from David García. The forward powered a header in from the middle of the box and was enjoying himself. This was good news for the new front four: Rivas on the right, Durán on the left, and Moreno filling in as captain with Álex ahead of him. It was two changes too many and totally disrupted the game’s pace.

On came the other four youngsters, Ángel Luis and Amador at the back and Miquel and Plà in the middle. With complacency setting in quick I cut a frantic figure on the touchline trying to tell these young players that no-one will remember them. It fired them into life for the last ten minutes of the game. Álex showed aerial promise to loop a cross just wide but their play was weeks behind the rest.

Posse missed the chance to congratulate the players. The lack of passion in the final 20 minutes had rankled and a few of the youngsters were upset. Instead of playing the good cop I let them stew on the bus ride home. I was happy that they weren’t happy despite a win. Now we would work on some good old-fashioned teamwork exercises so that they would look out for each other in times like this.

With the under 19’s brought under Marchese’s wing, plus the two overage ‘keepers and Luis Carlos, Joan threw his toys out of the pram. To stop him running to the chairman I told him it was on for the friendlies I had arranged in tandem with the first-team fixtures. Such a precocious talent!

[Diego Imposta]

122.

I think it was fair to say Dani Montero was done. The left back had come in from consecutive years in different Terceras and a handful of appearances in total. He was all pace and no determination so he was the first name on the unwanted list. Uri, for all his Catalan credentials, had buddied up with Dani Montero in training as they were both as lazy as each other. He was coming up to ten years since his last B3 appearance and Posse agreed that he was surplus to requirements. Álex had shown me in his brief experience the reason he hadn’t played Segunda División in five years – he had touch and pace but absolutely no interest in making a difference to a game. It was a shame but it was a step too far. All three of these men had one thing in common – career gaps. Dropping too deep in the system for years on end was not to be ignored. Cabanillas had done the same, of course, but that was in Malta.

One player made me have a change of heart. Youth prospect José Ramón Castells had shown he had what it takes to mix it with the big boys – he was absolutely driven. What he lacked was a skill set so I intended to build him up as the next best thing on the right wing. He was offered his first pro deal. It would be heinous to send the other three packing so soon after settling. If I could send them away on loan then great, if not they could stay and train with us. I was so far over the budget it would not make the slightest of difference. That was on Miguel Ángel Sánchez, not me. I could sort it in winter.

Muñoz and Masó earned stays of execution through playing for the club before and being versatile respectively. It was a low bar but Cristian had worried me in pre-season – Posse had noticed it too. I wanted to call on two senior full backs on either side as central defence was enough of a concession.

I was torn between choosing two goalkeepers from three but in the end my head said keep Saavedra at the club to train the other two. I would be a fool to dispose of Lorenzo’s supposed ability. If I can coax it out of him while Paz is ready to step up now, then Saavedra can stay on unregistered to train.

The young goalkeepers, Martín and Valles, would be made available for the under 19s friendlies. It wasn’t cruel – they were listed for loan and had two weeks to ship out. Fitness was desirable to any team desperate for a goalkeeper so late in the window. It would be interesting to see who Marchese would pick. With the youth side now aping the seniors with the same local friendlies a week later, he had advance warning of opposition systems and bright young players to look out for - a gentle start.

With registration now set, there was space for three players aged between 19 and 23. This was very enticing – we still had money to spend – even though I was reticent to stunt the careers of these fine young players waiting in the wings. We would push ahead for now with what we have but the winter window would have to be given my full focus. Barcelona native Santi Ballesté, 64, was brought in for his experience of the region given the dearth of talent that applied for the chief scout job. He would be tasked with scouting every club we face while Álvarez gave reports on each player in my dossier.

Similarly, Paulino Vázquez, 58, was taken on owing to his stunning medical work history. He was an Elche man through and through but had been turfed-out after five years owing to their finances. I’d be reliant on them and be hopeful of keeping both until they retire. Ballesté had enquired with me out about the director of football role, too…

[Diego Imposta]

123.

These four local games would not be of interest to many. The first five had been dreadful but the ends justified the means – we had a squad near fitness and the process of elimination had begun.

The trip to Madrid was about pride. We had changed formation, pushing our wingers higher up the pitch, and it had paid dividends. The football was exciting and we were building on the image of a side that likes to keep the ball. Three clean sheets was a positive but failing to score in four was the kind of negative that does not bode well for the season - we played two decent sides and lost both.

It was time to come up with an idea. Álvarez and Posse joined me for breakfast and we talked over their systems and why they failed. Álvarez was keen for me to abandon 4-2-3-1 as it had got him the sack at Llagostera. We had the pace for a high back line but he said it was folly to suggest that this side was capable of putting away counter attacks. The middle two and fullbacks would get overrun by good teams and forcing the best sides to play direct from the back would punish us severely. It was food for thought. And you Posse? 4-1-2-3 for him. Exactly the same problem. The fullbacks get overrun and the side is reliant on a triangle of players working hard for each other. Our best players were not in the middle and he had no qualms with us not operating in this way. This left 3-5-2 and my ever-diminishing returns with the formation and its variants at Olot. I discussed how it just did not work in this league given the strength of the wingers and numbers 10s operating in this division.

The wingers issue was a serious business. Aside from out woes at centre-back, Aguiar and Cristian were small men who couldn’t cope with aerial balls – they were as useless at the near or far post. In reserve we had Ávila and Segura, two man-mountains who unfortunately didn’t have the pace of the elder fullbacks. Muñoz was more similar to the former pairing so we had to come up with another way to play. 4-4-1-1 at Santa Eulalia was heavily reliant on a talisman in the hole and a viper up front – again luxuries we didn’t have here. Just what did we have? We didn’t have enough players to play three at the back or three up front, so we would have to press ahead with what we have. What we had was a potential weak link at left back. Cristian was struggling there, and Muñoz and Aguiar were all suspect there. More often than not I imagined to see Segura in the middle and no way was I going to sacrifice Pardavilla or Querol’s attacking ability to pull them all the way back. Aguiar was a winger by trade. His mind is still there. Simón had played some of his career in a deeper wing-back role too.

We had an attacking midfielder who was all left foot. The answer was staring us all right in the face.

We would play an asymmetric formation! Matías, with his natural inclination to defend, would sit in front of Joan and Maestre. The latter was a natural in the screening role should we need his cover. If we pulled Pardavilla back to left midfield to prevent double-ups on the left back, Simón could sit high up and hope that Aguiar had the pace and ability to get the ball to him. David Garcíá and Querol had to come off-centre to avoid running into each other but it meant both men were on the side of their favoured foot and had room to operate in. Anyone who plays left-back is not a good defender and anyone who plays right-back is more of an attacker. It was a formation made in heaven. If it worked.

The players were told at training that morning – we just couldn’t contain our excitement.

[Diego Imposta]

124.

Building from the back would be an issue. Lorenzo and Paz were not traditional goalkeepers. They were quick, agile, and good with their hands but they needed a lot of protection in order to play to their strengths. We would ask for shorter kicks to start with as we had a number of irons in the fire further up the pitch. Saavaedra was an all-rounder with different forms of distribution to match but crucially, at 34, he did not have the physical attributes to react when this defence abandoned him.

Joan would play on the right and Maestre on the left. Their partnership wasn’t working as we would have hoped and, after a chat with our longest serving member, the small matter of side preference is what held him back. Joan was left footed but when playing out wide he enjoyed coming in off the right flank. It must be a teenager thing. His ability to step out and win the ball surpassed the others.

For now, we had men to get fit. The first eleven would start the Primera Catalana games from the bench in order to get minutes under the belt of the rest. Our seven youngsters would be excused to avoid them playing the same opposition twice in as many weeks. Luis Carlos and Masó were excused on account of injury, as was Saavedra who would not play part of our final 22. It meant we turned up with a league game-sized squad of 16 and we would treat it accordingly. It was a hot night to play in.

Aguiar stroked a third minute free-kick around the wall and in. I didn’t know he had it in him. From the off Cristian and Pardavilla looked like they had rope around their waists, keeping them together.

Cabanillas looked full of life in the deep-lying forward role now, coming left to meet with Querol and Pardavilla, right to meet with Simón and Aguiar. He was equally adept facing goal, rising to meet the cross that Simón had laid on. Pardavilla had cut the opposition open with a raking diagonal ball into the run of the right winger and after 12 minutes the match was over. All we had to do now was try and work a way into the game for David García, conspicuous by his absence. He’d be our playmaker.

As soon as the midfielder was tasked with running into the gaps he stole the ball off Querol and hit a looping pass into the run of Cabanillas who whipped his left foot around it and into the UE Sants net.

Segura was looking very comfortable on the right of Maestre and kick-started a lovely passing move which ended with the ball in the back of the net again – Querol finding the overlapping Pardavilla for 4-0 on 23 minutes. Querol made it five in 25 with a right-footed volley from a Cabanillas cross. He’d come short for a throw-in, turned his man and popped it into the middle of the box for the captain to hit it home. The goalkeeper should have done a lot better but make no mistake, this was practice.

Matías was asked to get involved at 5-0 up – a roaming playmaker role saw him sit alongside David Garcíá when in possession and expose the main playmaker to markers. The idea was withdrawn at half time, as was Aguiar who was still suffering from that head knock earlier in the week. Ávila was on and so was Durán. The two would get forward as much as possible to see if we could overload and score more goals. Cabanillas had his hat-trick after two minutes, Querol again with a lofted ball.

Rivas was on for some chances at goal but it was Simón who made it seven. Our plan to control the last half an hour somewhat depleted the young striker’s chances but Sants were not rolling over for us despite the score. David García had left the box to collect from Querol and dinked a ball in for the right winger to hit on the half-volley. We were camped in the last twenty metres of the pitch all day.

We would not let up. Attacking for the final fifteen minutes exposed a number of chances for Sants but now 8-0 down they were being punished for not putting them away. Segura rose to nod home a Simón free-kick. An injury to Ávila gave excuse to drop Simón back and get Moreno on in his position as well as Paz on for a few minutes in goal. It was only a head injury so he should be fit this weekend.

I was very pleased with both the result and the performance although not so much with my physio. Vázquez diagnosed Ávila with concussion and he would be missing for two to three weeks. Posse was furious that the doctor had not attended the game and vowed to read him the riot act when we got back to base. While he did that, I sat down with Castells as he signed his first professional deal.

Álvarez popped his head round the door to discuss the SportPesa odds for the division released that morning. I was concerned that he was near a betting shop at all but I soon smiled when I saw that my old charges at Santa Eulalia were odd-on favourites for relegation. Cornellà were not far behind.

The bookmakers believed that the rest of the relegation spots would be filled by us, Atlético Baleares and Ontinyent. It was surprising to see that the three other promoted sides were predicted to finish above us. Castellón, Prat, and Alzira would face a tougher season than they expected and I was sure of that. A month had gone by and he still had not reported on my targets. Apparently he was saving them all up to give to me at once. There was less than two weeks until the window shut and this guy thought I’d like to prepare the winter window. Wait until the chairman hears about this. Then it hit me – Miguel Ángel Sánchez won’t even care. He brought me to the club as much as he brought in his own Director of Football and all that mattered was league status. Anything less and we’d both be out of a job. Montañesa were up next and with Aguiar still struggling, Cristian moved to the right and on the left Muñoz would earn his keep after missing out on the midweek thrashing. Could he too build an early understanding with Pardavilla? His Badalona career depended on it.

[Diego Imposta]

125.

Paz would start in goal at Montañesa, the third change after Muñoz at left back and Cristian moving to right back. David García would be asked to revisit the advanced playmaker role that he worked so well in the 8-0 thrashing of Sants. Aguiar made the five man bench but otherwise we are unchanged.

I expected a win and let the players know it. Posse shoved Maestre and Querol out the door of the dressing room repeating what I said. The home side lined up with three at the back and wingbacks.

A sublime counter kick upfield from Segura found Cabanillas. He swept the ball onto the right flank looking for Simón and the local lad delivered – a surging run and cross finding the return pass float on to the striker’s head. The ‘keeper was equal to it but it immediately set the tone for the evening.

Three times he got away down the right inside the first ten minutes and Cabanillas was struggling to put it away. Burgada in the Montañesa goal was having the game of his life. I again asked Matías to get forward in an unconventional manner and his assistance brought the breakthrough. Coming up to collect a deep throw-in, he fed Querol who in turn fed the striker. His shot was blocked but Simón was there to mop up with the goalkeeper stranded. It took us 20 minutes and nine shots in the end.

At times Matías was getting in David García’s way – was there no way to get them dovetailing? We saw Querol really wanted to get on the end of Simón’s crosses so we gave him that second striker freedom. He as getting so much of the ball but couldn’t do a lot with it. If he started scoring goals…

As if my magic he broke the lines, fed Cabanillas, and continued his run towards the box. It was 2-0! The striker was clattered but the ball broke loose to Simón, and his head-down running and cross to the far post found Querol who volleyed home. The next few minutes saw wonderful interplay from the front two but to be honest the legs were going for all of the men out there. Half time welcomed a rest for all of them. We were pleased but utterly reliant on Simón – could Pardavilla hit the wing?

He could not. But it didn’t matter – we would again ask for overlapping wingbacks Moreno and Rivas were on for the front two on the hour. I wanted to wrap that partnership in cotton wool. The change players really weren’t interested until I asked them to control the game – Montañesa were creeping.

A one-on-one – their first – was skied over the bar with five minutes remaining. Pardavilla made it three in injury time when the players were queuing up to put away a poorly cleared corner. The half deserved a goal and I scaled back my praise at full-time. This formation was working wonders against lower league opposition so I was looking forward to seeing how a fuller squad would cope with the next two games against better opposition. The outcasts would be given a reprieve in case there were any scouts in the vicinity looking to wrap up last-minute deals. It wouldn’t be so bad to keep them at the club – in some respects they’d all earned the move – and it’d foster a communal spirit of old and young heads not getting a game.

[Diego Imposta]

126.

Martinenc presented a nice problem – tougher opposition – and with only Ávila out we had a licence to play around. Saavedra would take the gloves, Uri left back and Montero on the right. His right foot was fair so he got a game. It was as simple as that. Maestre and Segura held the middle as Joan was off with the under 19s tonight. The front six could not remain the same but something told me that teams would come to fear the two trios of Matías, Pardavilla, and David García operating the middle and the sharks of Simón, Querol, and Cabanillas up front. To complete the full bench we included a few players who were actually too injured to play but we went with a 23 as a show of force. A youth side could also turn up with 16 tonight at Sants - it sent a message to the region that we had power.

The Querol and Cabanillias partnership was blossoming. Even during the warm-up they looked tuned up but the real intrigue of the midfield was around Durán on the left, old man Moreno in the middle, and Álex in a rare outing on the right flank – there just had to be somewhere he was useful. As Luis Carlos and Masó were still nursing injuries we would have to wait and see what they could offer at the top and bottom of this new asymmetric formation. If Luis Carlos couldn’t make a single game in ten friendlies then I would be forced to cut him loose of registration – he obviously wasn’t up to this.

Cabanillas should have put us one up inside three minutes, reacting first to the loose ball that Querol had charged down off the full back. Unmarked, he lashed it against the near post and out. I could not rely on him to stick everything away, after all. A new striker of pedigree would certainly up the ante.

It wasn’t the all-conquering opening quarter of an hour I had come to expect from last week. Posse suggested we try and control the game immediately rather than to see it out. It paid dividends very soon, Matías picking the ball up from deep inside his own half and spotting the run of his striker. At the first opportunity Cabanillas squared it for the arriving Querol and the captain put us ahead. 1-0!

Álex was struggling out there, running himself into dead ends or just not running where he should have been. It was disappointing as our measured approach could have opened up a many goal lead.

2-0 and Cabanillas was finishing confidently! Querol threaded a lovely through ball between the two central defenders and first-time the striker slotted it low and hard to the ‘keeper’s weaker left side.

Segura was down in a heap holding his neck. The fun drained out of the day immediately as doctors rushed to his aid. We didn’t know how serious it was but the stretcher and neck brace were brought out as a precaution. Play stopped for a few minutes and Aguiar got changed and slotted in his place.

Convinced that wingbacks could only work with a patient, probing mentality we tasked the full backs to get forward after half an hour. The players’ heads were still with Segura as we conceded from an awful mistake from Montero. He really was finished. Under no pressure, he took a heavy touch and was summarily punished for reacting slowest. One forward teed up the other and it’s all to play for.

A few minutes later Álex sparked a shot on to the post and out when he really should have scored.

The last thing I wanted at half-time was complacency. They had to step it up. Be more fluid with one another. For some of them it was not too late. I made sure the message was clear. I expected more from Durán in his preferred position. Matías was so visibly tired I had to get Masó’s weak ankles on.

Montero put in a goal-saving tackle and clearance off the line in the first few minutes. He’d atoned for the error – could he kick on? Cabanillas made it three, another through ball from Querol, and we had Martinenc on the ropes inside three minutes. Montero had spotted the captain in all that space.

Álex fumbled his way though a deflection and managed to stand one up in the middle for Cabanillas to take his perfect hat-trick with a bullet header. Durán may work as an inverted winger, I thought, as we gave Luis Carlos and Rivas a go up top. I was prepared to risk further injury as I needed to see the lad play. Unfortunately we didn’t see a lot of play at all and so I asked for a touch more urgency.

We were getting closer to where we needed to be but the last half hour was utterly devoid of attack.

Gorka García confirmed a broken collarbone for Segura. The dressing room was devastated for the young man. Word came in from Marchese that the youth side had succumbed to a 0-1 loss at Sants and the mood felt caught between so many ups and downs of the day. Still, at least we are together.

Segura would be given the best possible treatment and that meant our doctor and physio would be going nowhere near him. You are always judged on the first way you react to new things and I think I wanted the message to get out that I looked after my players here. Also, that I like to spend money.

The deadline was in a week. Álvarez moved to make a loan offer for Chumi, a 20-year-old defender at Barcelona B. I was told that he was out of favour in both that team and the youth side he came up from. If we didn’t get him I wanted to know everything about him in case we could get him later on.

Two days before our last friendly, away at Júpiter, I was asked to name my 22-man squad. I couldn’t believe it had come around that quick. The two young goalkeepers Martín and Vallés, as well as the elder statesman Saavedra, were out. It was a tough decision but they were getting friendly games in.

Dani Montero, Uri, and Álex were out. They had just done nowhere near enough either with me or in their careers. They would play the next game and that’s it. We dangled the carrot to Luis Carlos. As it stands he’s out, too. Play great against Júpiter and you’re in...

[Diego Imposta]

127.

A good win for the under 19s, 3-0 at Montañesa, saw young professional Castells again earn plaudits from our Italian head of youth development – his Catalan was coming along. I asked to see the tape after the senior game tomorrow. Ávila was still out so young Castells earned his place on the bench with the big boys. Cristian would come in at right back, Muñoz at left, Uri in the middle and that’s it.

A late inclusion was Dani Montero at left midfield. Between him, Uri at the back, Luis Carlos now on the right and Álex up top, we had the roughest diamond you could imagine. The theory was that the man up top and the right wing would dovetail inverted runs behind and in front of young Rivas. It’s some theory, said Posse, but we had nothing to lose. Any one of these men could control this game.

Shockingly, we were 0-1 down after five minutes. Aguiar just didn’t see the man behind him and the centre forward beat Saavedra to the long punt upfield. It was embarrassing. We had our match – the Brazilian box formation. Luis Carlos took the ball from deep and arced a ball for Rivas to chase. The shot-shy striker earned a corner but his lack of pace, especially when he had the run on someone, is of great concern to me right now. I need that third option up front. We would back off and chance it.

Finally Rivas shook off his marker after chasing a ball upfield but his considered shot struck the post!

For the first time with this new formation we would have to counter. That box supressed us too well.

Rivas missed an absolute sitter by heading the ball away from goal rather than back where it came from. Montero put a good ball in, after a delicious switch pass from Luis Carlos, but it was wasted. If that wasn’t bad enough, Rivas forced a fine save moments later after again being put through by the winger, apparently risen from the dead. We kept knocking on that door but Rivas hit the ‘keeper on each and every occasion. I wanted much, much better from them in the second half. A goal at least.

On the hour I’d seen enough and we had the first choice front six out there. Their energy infectious, I knew a goal was coming. So confident, in fact, I got a new back five on including Castells at full-back.

Querol hit the bar with a header from a Simón cross and the frustration was beginning to creep in to our side. Cabanillas shanked a shot well wide with five minutes to go. My blood was boiling. If Posse was anything to go by, the players were in under no illusions what waited them in the dressing room if they came in with a defeat. Joan thought he’d scored from a corner but he was offside when it fell to him. Matías was lucky to recover a mistake and feed Simón soon after but he was hacked down in injury time. A second yellow for the home left-back. We wasted the final moment trying to walk it in.

I am not happy with that result, I boomed. I made sure the home side heard me through the wall. It shook the players, Posse’s good cop nowhere to be seen. They were all fired up and the atmosphere amongst the squad seethed.

[Diego Imposta]

128.

Chief Scout Santi Ballesté came in to discuss Castellón. We should expect 4-2-3-1 and a team from the Tercera that surprisingly did not have strong, aggressive characteristics. They were a Barcelona team all right and would look the play the right way. Nico López had been appointed in the summer, parachuted in to steer them in the league system this year, but with a relegation of Real Sociedad B his last venture I did not expect that they would be able to deal with our similarly new-look squad.

Querol was confirmed as the permanent captain and Maestre was given the honour of vice-captain.

Álvarez was offering a contract to 20-year-old Barcelona defender Chumi – they were happy for him to choose his loan destination between us and B1’s mid-table upstarts Somozas. Surely a no contest.

With Luis Carlos now finally fit from his five-month lay-off, I had an enormous decision to make. We did not have nearly enough information on players to bring a new face in on deadline day. I told my man Álvarez that I wanted no part of it – political transfers were his business. Had Luis Carlos done enough? His cultured left foot passed the eye test certainly. There was something to be said about the others signing their own death warrants but I felt there was something to unlock in him. He’s in.

The under 19s hit a solid 1-1 away at Martinenc but my eye was taken by another youngster. Chumi had amazingly decided to leave Catalunya but my director of football made sweet amends. Knowing I needed a striker, he managed to bag a loan move for José Manuel Mesas. The kid was 16 but fresh from a € 325k summer move from Zaragoza to Deportivo. He was earning a better salary than me!

On day one of post-window training we got to have a look at him. He arrived with his parents and we didn’t know how to react. Whatever happened, their boy was going to play league football and hope to make it at Depor. We were hopefully not inconsequential. The chairman gave them the grin and it seemed to settle them – he’d buttered them up already, sold the vision and all sorts of nonsense like that. We weren’t paying the La Liga side a single euro. What favour would we have to give in return?

All height and bones. But my word, he had it all. Pace, technique, flair – the lot. We wanted a better striker and boy, did we get one. Cabanillas was worn-out trying to keep up. He knew his place in the order of things almost immediately. He zipped around to the flanks and played there with ease. This kid could keep us up. He was not our best player by any stretch, for he had his flaws, but at 16 this is the worst he’ll ever be. And that was better than we had. With Querol by his side he would not have to lead the line on his own - we could really let his career blossom next to such an experienced head.

I knew better than to play a 16-year-old every week, though, and I would have to carefully foster the captain’s partnership with Cabanillas. They were a match made in away-day heaven, especially with the striker’s penchant for playing with his back to goal. The Badalona fans would adore Mesas. I was sure of it. Well done, Álvarez. Well done…

[Diego Imposta]

129.

We’d given a poor show at home in two friendlies. It was weighing heavy on my mind. A late collapse against B2’s Arenas Club and then a poor showing in front of ten times that crowd for Girona meant that our fans had not seen us score at Montigalà this summer. Castellón would visit September first.

During our Saturday morning breakfast, Posse, Álvarez and I agreed to slip our asymmetric formation up our sleeve for when we needed it. We had all suffered from a lack of plan B in our recent failures. We had seven games to get through this month but the gods of travel looked upon us kindly indeed. We would follow this home tie with a trip to Lleida, before returning home to entertain Espanyol B. With a week between each game we had a vision of trying out each formation. The asymmetric one would be deployed on the youthful reserves of the second side in Barcelona, while Posse’s defensive 4-1-2-3 DM Wide would see us do battle at big club Lleida. This left Álvarez’s 4-2-3-1 Wide to battle the exact same of Castellón. All that remained now was to pick my inaugural squad for the División…

We had five key players contractually, so five key players would play. The first name on the sheet is Lorenzo. We had our reservations about the goalkeeper – two starts in ten friendlies attests to that – but if we can’t play him against a promoted side like ourselves then when can we play him? It was a boost to his confidence to have his name at the top of the roll call in the dressing room on Saturday.

Querol would sit in the hole, Simón to his right, and Maestre would take up his favoured left-central role at the back. New signing Mesas would lead the line. It was Álvarez’s man in Álvarez’s formation. Matías, Pardavilla, and Joan would expect to bulk out the core of the first team so they were in, too.

Paz would sit on the bench until Lorenzo made a mistake, and Luis Carlos was there on ability alone. Cabanillas would watch on, as would Ávila and Duran who offered good cover all along both flanks.

David García pipped veteran Moreno as the creative force in midfield but an example was made of Cristian. The versatile full back was left out of the squad entirely, his card marked after an ineffective pre-season. The same would go for Masó. Aguiar and Muñoz took the full-back roles and earned it.

With one wildcard pick thanks to Segura’s broken collarbone, we decided to reward the best trainer. It was a split decision from the judges. It should come as no surprise that one of them was Castells but the other had done just as much this week, spoiling what I imagine would become a predictable employee of the month competition. Amador, the boy plucked from obscurity after being released by Sevilla, would cover centre back and central midfield for us. Rivas would be left at home in order to look for his shooting boots. As we put the players through their paces, Mata came over to tell us that Vicente Parras, the man drenched in Elche but now managing Ontinyent, had personally dug me out in his press conference. Eurosport were on the phone. Once I shouted the same of his relegation survival chances, I launched into a stream of expletives and hung up.

[Diego Imposta]

130.

We had some good intel on Castellón – they tended to fade late in games. This gave us the perfect opportunity to feel our way into the game. Our white chevrons proud on our blue shirts, we would kick the season off against the black and white stripes of the opposition. It was overcast and 20°C.

With debutants in the front four and at the back, we could get at them early and upset their rhythm.

The midday kickoff followed Elche’s 1-2 home loss to Hércules the previous night and all eyes were on us. In our part of the world, anyway. I took my opportunity to demand the fans got their money’s worth. While the men listened keenly, Posse tucked an arm around my captain and demanded more.

Castellón would try and hit us with a high tempo. They didn’t have the quality to back it up and what started as a potential frightener seemed to be their manager playing the percentages. They counter after a tetchy opening ten minutes and Lorenzo got down brilliantly to parry when the chance came.

With a shift to try and push them back after fifteen minutes, it backfired spectacularly. Left-winger Cisneros danced in the box and fed a devilish ball to fellow wing debutant Montero to volley home from the penalty spot. Muñoz failed to get goal-side with Aguiar failing to close down the throw-in.

Mesas nearly equalised a minute later. An aggressive punt from Joan at the back was too long even the speediest of División B3 players but Mesas was a cut above. His first touch sublime, the second was parried by Zagalá and Querol was unable to square the rebound. The game was opening up now and it was end-to-end for a while. Matías stormed forward with the ball – we hadn’t seen this in all of pre-season – and played a sumptuous through-ball for Mesas. Again Zagalá denied him, turning it around the near post. The boy was visibly going through the stages of frustration into determination.

We were getting closer and closer. We needed to express ourselves. We had superior quality in that regard and ended the half with fantastic, flowing football. Zagalá clawed one off the line after good work from Simón finding Pardavilla at the far post. The game was getting far too stretched for our liking and Lorenzo was again the hero after Joan stood on the ball during a routine out-ball to him.

Querol was struggling with a tight groin but as the lynchpin in the side he was staying on. Pardavilla started a wonderful counter down the left flank from the resulting corner and Matías busted a gut to get alongside him. Mesas was peeling away in the middle. He ran out of steam and wasted the cross.

Zagalá was having the game of his life, keeping out Mesas who again broke free of the defence with three minutes to go. He skied a shot from the corner and showed his rusty composure. We had cut Castellón open time and again and had no reward. I had no intention of it being one of those days.

With creativity on high, Luis Carlos was charged with coming on for Querol and being our operator. In the captain’s absence, David Garciá would be our main passing outlet and I hoped it would spur on our right flank who had been particularly quiet. Keep doing what you’re doing and it will come.

Ten minutes after the restart we were 0-2 down. A corner from Cisneros was flicked on at the near post by Soto and seconded by Marcos – from one centre back to another. Was this now game over?

Cabanillas was desperate to get on. Luis Carlos would push on beyond him like Querol did. It didn’t work. With fifteen minutes we had to concede the game – they had dug in and there was nothing for it. The asymmetric formation was in play, and Joan – exhausted – was off for Amador’s hard debut.

Maestre was nearly the hero in front of his own fans. His volley from a corner was hacked off the line and, with that, the supporters started leaving the stadium. They’d seen nothing in this half. Nothing.

I was far from pleased with what I just saw. Maestre had failed to martial the troops. He was not the vice-captain I thought he was. Castellón survived by the skin of their teeth, got their goals, and hung on for dear life. This was all their fault. Querol would thankfully only be out for a few days but again we let the fans down. Our asymmetric plan B in the last fifteen minutes didn’t bear fruit either so all in all it was a terrible day at the office. It was a stupid decision to not go with worked so well for us in pre-season and it came back to bite us. Íscar was a friendly – this was a chance of three points from the side who are considered our relegation rivals. The fans had now seen us three times and been so unimpressed with each of our showings at Montigalà. The chairman entered the dressing room just as I’d finished giving the team a piece of my mind. With not so much as a hello he pointed to me and then my management duo and simply said: my office. I wasn’t about to let the players think that I’m being undermined already, so I barked at Ádan to make sure these players get this dressing room in spotless condition in five minutes. And with that I started to leave so Posse and Álvarez followed me.

The fans have already voiced their discontent, Diego. Pointing to Álvarez, he asked how many shots did his man have to miss today? He’s just a boy, countered the director of football. He won’t be that nervous every week. The chairman growled. I am not letting that play every week! Cabanillas starts at Lleida and that is final. Am I understood? Posse and I exchanged glances. It was what we planned all along. He concealed a smirk. Without our profligacy in front of goal today we would have scored four or five. We’re not far off. And if our chairman thinks we’re his puppets then he can think again.

Mealy-mouthed, we backed out of the office when Miguel Ángel Sánchez ran out of steam. In silence we ambled down the stairwells and towards the dressing room. The ambling became quicker and we began a kind of quick-walking competition, like schoolboys. Posse won, braced the closed doorframe and let out a horrendous fart!

[Diego Imposta]

131.

It was important that the players saw us laughing – the three musketeers. We were all new to the club and falling out on day one of the season would set the wrong tone. Everyone back on Tuesday.

I was secretly pleased that our focus on attack during the week yielded such positive play in the first half. We’d hope to repeat the same for the visit to Lleida, albeit with a defensive approach. 4-1-2-3 would be used and we would later joke with Posse that our chairman may demand we return to our asymmetrical formation for the visit of Espanyol B. We’d risk no points in our first two games to see what our players had to offer in these alternate formations. Badalona will need a flexible approach.

Gerard Albadalejo’s Lledia Esportiu were a tough nut to crack. Santa managed to draw 2-2 with them on the opening day but the islanders did have a man advantage from nine minutes onwards. Taking the lead twice, they chucked it away to ricochet goals from Lleida centre back Noel. I hadn’t beaten them since my first fixture as manager. Espanyol B managed to stick four in at Cornellà, three from set-pieces, so we would need to be well drilled for that in the week leading up to our fixture. Of all the unaffiliated promoted teams, only Castelón won. This left us, Prat, and Alzira still in it together.

As is now customary, the midweek day off is when Posse and Álvarez join me for breakfast to discuss the squad for the next game. Amador had played his heart out in training yet again. Marchese had said that Joan had been outstanding this week too so we decided to pair them at the back with the old man Maestre in front of them to look out for them. We’d make him captain again to really push home the message that he was responsible for others today. Querol would sit on the bench to rest.

Durán swung and missed a volley in training the next day and pulled his knee ligaments. He would be out for a few weeks. I would drop him and Ávila from the bench and replace them with Cristian and Masó. The reasoning was that both players provided excellent cover and we already had three wing players on the bench. Rivas would have to wait again, as would Segura who is still a few weeks away.

I had forgotten how big Camp d’Esports was. There was a palpably awkward silence as I entered the dressing room. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Get out there and show the world you’ve got what it takes! Their bright yellow kits steamed past me and out into the tunnel. We were ready.

We survived until the game naturally settled down. Trying to hit the home side on the counter was the new instruction as we could barely get the ball off them. We could barely keep it, either. After 23 minutes Javi López carved us open. Joan had dove in and won the ball but it broke loose in the box to the winger and he simply crossed it along the ground for Miranda to tuck it away, Joan now lost.

We shut up shop and came in at half-time. Simón pulled his hamstring. We had been unlucky so far.

Luis Carlos needed minutes so he was on. We tried to counter but Lleida countered that. Lorenzo is having a great game at the back but those defenders in front of him are so nervous. We very nearly scored with our first shot. Luis Carlos playing wonderfully with back to goal on the right flank, it fell to Matías who played a ball behind the full back and Pardavilla forced a smart save from the ‘keeper.

Luis Carlos had picked up a nasty knock on his ankle and Lleida smelled blood. Again Lorenzo doing his job. We switched to the asymmetric earlier this time and gave the playmaker role to Matías who had been excellent today. Luis Carlos would stay on, David García pushed further forward. It was a risk but Lleida had just made their third substitution – maybe we could catch them cold. It lasted all of five minutes – Joan tripping his man for a second caution of the night. I couldn’t be angry – he was only seventeen. Maestre took his position, Matías fell back and so did David García and Cabanillas.

We were second to every ball after that. It became shooting practice. Thankfully, despite hitting the post, Lleida weren’t that good. They were all pace and physicality but lacking in skill to see us off. We abandoned the asymmetric and abandon the screen, Matías moving next to David García. The elder statesmen were on. Querol and Moreno on the wings Pardavilla and Luis Carlos off. Cabanillas gave the ball away cheaply and Vitoria, a thorn in our side all day, struck a total canon of a shot just wide.

Vitoria went on to miss a hat-trick of one-on-ones in the last five minutes. His pace was astonishing.

We finally conceded a second in comical fashion. With no danger, Maestre dallied on the ball a little too long. By the time he realised Miranda was bearing down on him he panicked a kick straight in his face. The ball fell kindly – it always does – and he tucked it home. Our passing accuracy was barely in the 60% mark. This was the first time that we played like the team of strangers that we were. What I said in the dressing room afterwards was that despite the result I was very pleased they stuck it out.

Apparently our twelve league games without a win is now a Badalona record. Thanks for that, Ádan.

Villarreal B and Mallorca, the two best sides from last weekend, faced off in a thrilling encounter at Cuidad Deportiva. The goals were all great and we expected these two will battle it out all year. The calendar is already marked for when Mallorca can take their revenge for the home side’s 3-1 win. I’d be surprised to see Fran Oller miss a penalty with Orihuela 1-0 up and cruising. The away side soon collapsed and they ended up losing 1-2 to Hospitalet. Alzira picked up their first points of the season, at home to Cornellà 2-0, while Castellón did the promotion double by beating Prat 2-0. Espanyol B go top with a 3-0 win over Santa Eulalia – again more goals from set pieces. This is going to be tougher than we thought. Over to you, Maestre.

[Diego Imposta]

132.

David Gallego was Badalona alumni, albeit one bit-part season, so we would welcome his Espanyol B side with respect. Now into his fourth year at the helm – seven if you include the under 19s – he was a model of consistency. Perhaps his chance would come for the senior job. This is football, after all.

A midday 1-3 home loss for the under 19s against Barcelona couldn’t tear us away from training on the Wednesday, as we looked to consolidate our defensive drills. Castells had spurned his promising week with a poor display apparently and would not be considered. Amador kept his place and Mesas had earned his back. Training performances were generally poor, so we decided to boost the morale.

With Joan suspended, he played in a 2-0 under 19s win at Cornellà – Marchese’s first win of the year. Miquel had been suspended after collecting two soft first-half bookings against Barcelona so he was rewarded with the place on the bench. Not exactly meritocracy but I would use them all this season.

Sito was causing us all sorts of problems down that left side, as we knew he would, and the Espanyol team had pivoted to benefit him. The breakthrough nearly came when he put left-back Pedrosa wide and the cross to the middle found front-man García. The header ricochets off the bar, Amador clear.

We were camped in our own penalty area for two or three minutes and David García tripped him up.

Granero didn’t miss. Another set-piece. Fifteen minutes on a watch. This was going to be a long day.

We controlled the game, tight passing routines at the back tiring out the pressure. Aguiar on Sito in a flash. Over the top for Mesas to chase. He’s gone too wide and… wide with the shot, too. Still, it’s ok.

García misses a wonderful chance to make it two. They’ve slowed it down and picked their moment to dissect our defence. Young Amador lost him. On 30 minutes, Querol picks it up at right-back, face to goal. He turns, rolls an undersole over the ball and launches it towards Mesas, free of the last man and still going. He takes it inside, one-on-one, waiting for the ‘keeper to commit. He doesn’t and the time comes to shoot. Saved! How many chances like this are they going to let us have? Amador hits the ‘keeper with his header. Another corner. This time its is cleared. We have to go for it, Badalona!

We force them back, ending it on a high. Matías goes for a glory from a cleared free-kick. Half time.

We’re not doing badly at all, I tell them. If everyone continues to work hard, we’ll win this. Maestre, you need to close down more. Querol, lay off the tackles. We don’t need another sending off do we?

With strict instruction to support each other getting forward, we had to start winning second balls.

We’d release Pardavilla down our left, push him forward and Matías too. It was our man in the hole against theirs in front of the defence. García was still a menace, winning those headers and drawing a booking from Aguiar. He would have to come off for Cristian in light of Sito’s trickery. But first our man Simón tucks one over the top for Mesas. He bears down on goal but bottles it, squaring into a crowd. Matías! He’s swept it in. What a lung-busting run. Amador spotted his winger in a pocket of space. We are on top in this end-to-end affair and we have a goal at home. This is what you paid for.

Muñoz, quiet and effective, launches one for Mesas – inherently knowing to run from the last man. He beats one, takes it wide, but Adríán denies him yet again. The boy needed Querol in support too.

A terrible mistake from Muñoz. He’s lost the ball in the middle of the park. They break, three on two, lightning quick. García clips the cross over Lorenzo. David Garcíá did not give him an out-ball to save it. Ninety seconds later we have a corner. Matías lobs it back in but they break again. Its three. That man Garcíá heading in at the far post. Another Jordan cross from the right. It’s game over. It’s gone.

We slow it down to stop losing the ball. We have to earn our chances. Matíás is unlucky with a long free-kick. We pull Querol back to give him a fighting chance of winning headers. David Garcíá finding him on the return. He sends Simón through but no, he’s cracked under the pressure and hit it high of the near post. Fifteen minutes to go. Pardavilla, anonymous, is off for Luis Carlos. A third position in three matches but now in his natural one. Could he take up the challenge? Was he fit? Cabanillas is on to get those headers. It does something extraordinary. We play one-touch football in and around the Espanyol box. Cabanillas and Querol find Simón, who stands it up for Luis Carlos. Adrían claws it off the line. The winger is tackled at the rebound. It’s a corner. They break again. Maestre tackles it.

Cabanillas is sent through by Luis Carlos in the third minute of injury time. He’s restored some pride. Post! How on earth did he hit the post? It was an absolute sitter. He nearly has the chance to go for it again but the right back beats him to it, pops a ball back to the ‘keeper and he takes it on the chest just to show off. With his kick upfield the game is done. The energy was there until the last second.

I couldn’t fault their effort today but it’s not what they wanted to hear. They were absolutely gutted.

Espanyol B go top and we go bottom, at least for a few hours. With Hércules coming to town in the middle of the week we had to pick ourselves up. The next four fixtures were games we didn’t want to concede in and ones we must not concede in respectively. Hércules home and Valencia Mestalla away in midweeks with Alzira away and Atlético Baleares at home for the weekends, in other words.

Hércules did a professional 2-0 job at Cornellà, sending them bottom in our stead. There wouldn’t be any time for any real training this week – we’d focus on the tactic and get used to the fluid control of the Espanyol game. Our best spells were a class act and we really should have won the game. Posse and Álvarez were worried men.

[Diego Imposta]

133.

Castells was in for Miquel – a blistering will to win in training got him the golden ticket to the bench. Young Amador was taken out of the spotlight and Joan came back in to the side. We were trying to build consistency in our line-ups to generate form. I hoped the fans would get on board with what I was trying to do as I could ill-afford another start to the season as poor as last time. We had to win.

There wasn’t time for a tactical briefing. The players were in, the squad was named, and we were in the dressing room. Go out there and show me you’ve got what it takes. It was all or nothing for us.

Simón was down after one minute and didn’t leave the field until three more had passed. It didn’t look good. Despite the temptation to get Castells on, Luis Carlos needed the minutes. His long and arduous rehabilitation from a hip injury was nearly over. We withdrew into our shell and sat back.

Playing out from the back got us back in the game but Hércules had a swift counter that we had to be weary of. Their plan was to hit the front two with the back to goal and spray it out wide. We had to be alert to that danger so to hell with creativity we had to keep the ball. After thirty minutes you would be forgiven for looking at the stats and thinking we were suffering death from a thousand cuts but Hércules could not find a way through and neither could we. Luis Carlos then worked the ‘keeper with a solid effort but we were only in from some quick passing. We’d up the ante to finish the half.

Querol went close from a speculative cross from David García, operating with freedom in the middle.

We were on top now and needed to score. Posse hammered home the message at half-time. This is there for the taking. The simple instruction was to keep our crosses low – Santamaría was like an air traffic controller out there. The ball was sticking to David García far too much. Get the ball wide lads!

Finally we woke up. A dazzling run by Luis Carlos, put through with a dissecting ball at left-back from Muñoz, saw him come inside on his stronger foot and strike at goal. It looped off the other defender Lorca and into the net. Just the luck we needed. We’d scored at home. We had to control this game.

We were guilty of not slowing the game down. Hércules were ready to pounce. A stunning counter saw them level the tie, the ball criss-crossing across the pitch after Querol lost the ball outside their box. I needed Moreno’s experience in the middle of the park, David Garcíá was done in. Soon after Mesas was off. Cabanillas could give us the fluid movement we needed between the lines. At seven minutes to go, he cleverly won the ball from Lorenzo’s goal kick and played it back to Matías. It was fed into Querol and wasted. I was furious. We would lose this game to a counter and I went ballistic.

Begging for the ball to played into space, the captain atoned! 2-1! Luis Carlos’ peach of a first-time volley into the path of Cabanillas saw him crushed between two defenders. With no penalty given, the ball fell to Pardavilla who doubled back, picked his head up and watched as Querol slotted it past the keeper with five minutes to go. But Hércules weren’t licked yet. They went and equalised just a minute later. Aguiar missed his header from a goal-kick and they were in with two-touch football.

We were losing this game. Maestre picked up his second yellow in the 90th minute. The free-kick and corner was survived but we still had five minutes and they managed to hit the post in that time, too.

The final whistle. At home to promotion favourites, it certainly didn’t feel like two points dropped.

[Diego Imposta]

134.

With no real time to work, we took one session on Friday to work on our defensive shape ahead of a trip down to Alzira. They had secured wins against Cornellà and Santa Eulalia in their four games, so I explained how important it was to be professional. We would stay in the area for Mestalla midweek.

Two changes were enforced as Simón would be out for up to a month with a twisted ankle. I felt for him as Luis Carlos was showing signs of being our best player in that position – he just had to get fit. Maestre was suspended so Amador was back into the fray, his training performances only pipped by the effervescent Castells. Forgotten man Ávila would join the bench should we need Castells inside.

César Laínez was Zaragoza through and through but had finally moved on in the summer. A solid few years as Zaragoza B boss saw him bring them down, back up again, and left them as a mid-table side. He was unpredictable in terms of formation and approach and no-one expected him to resign either. Still, they were doing just fine without him with four wins from four and two points clear at the top!

We would attack. The five youths in the squad were not to play in the home game against Santa and we needed their exuberance in fixture pile-ups like these. It was no surprise that we won regardless. The squad didn’t agree with our briefing but I had to remind them that they went toe-to-toe for long periods against Hércules with this approach. We were struggling to score goals only a week ago, too.

We relaxed the young trio of Joan, Amador, and Mesas by telling the team to go out there and enjoy themselves. We were all over them in the first five minutes, and Posse even said we were controlling the ball well. I nearly fell out of my seat! He was usually so dour about the technical side of the game but, running with what he was saying, I got the message across that we could play short passes now.

We had been warned about their set-piece threat and, in this typical Tercera stadium, it seemed apt that their first chance came from one. A deep ball outside the box was taken down and a shot struck the crossbar on Lorenzo’s near post. He had it covered but was maybe a bit too cavalier letting it go.

Alzira had ten men camped in their box after ten minutes. We couldn’t find a way through. The odd set-piece was wasted. We had to work the ball into the box, no matter the risk of a counter attack. It came to pass on twenty minutes, a dreadful free-kick from Querol sent Alzira racing down the pitch and a simple back-post header put them in front. In an attempt to control the game we eased off the attacking pressure. Two considered chances followed for Mesas and Querol. We were getting closer.

Alzira was rock solid at the back but they could not play football. Time and again we won it back off them and time and again we couldn’t get up the pitch quick enough Mesas missed a one-on-one at the end the half but by now, we were working the ball well. In injury time he got the goal he wanted with a scissor kick from Luis Carlos’ sumptuous ball between the centre backs from the halfway line.

The players came in with positive spirits and were itching to get out there. We needed to reset their minds. It was 0-0 and you need to feel for push-back all over the pitch. Let’s see game-management.

I felt we needed to play narrower. The gaps in our midfield were widely exposed and from there on we struggled to hold the ball. Joan picked up a knock, Aguiar came inside, and Cristian was on. There was no more working our chances, we had to see what passing chances we had first. Cheap chances were given to Alzira and it seemed for all the world that we did not know what we were doing here.

Moreno was on, as captain, and asked to give a bit of life to the team and get the ball moving faster.

Lazy passing from the back was both giving the ball away and creating opportunities over the top for us. Mesas missed another sitter but his pace far exceeded Cabanillas. With ten minutes to go we had to get him on and play out from the back. Alzira were running at us whenever they could. Desperate attempts to see out the game might cost us here, I thought to myself. It nearly came to pass with an identikit counter to their earlier goal but thankfully Lorenzo was more than equal to it. We had given a decent account of ourselves in this game but we were still learning. The longest six minutes added time played out in end-to-end fashion. Both sides were dead on their feet and passes were lazily hit high and long by both sides. It was a battling display by us and we were still looking for our first win.

Points on the board yet again, I said to the men in the dressing room. We are getting better as each game comes. Posse said get your rest and I will see you all on Tuesday for another defensive session.

Mestalla were riding high near the top of the league but it didn’t concern me right now. If we could come out of that game undefeated then the players really would start buying into what we’re trying to do here. Álvarez countered that we do not actually know what we are doing yet, the games are on us before we know it. The four games in October will give us the platform to find out what works or what isn’t working. Posse said that we should beat Atlético Baleares at home on Sunday night if we want to go into that October run in good spirits, no matter what happens on Wednesday night. I had to agree with him. They were down in the doldrums just the same as us. We need to pull away soon.

This is a project where consistency breeds consistency. Players are still learning each other’s names let alone each other’s games. We will assess training routines and tactical plans in good time but for now let’s go with the flow. Badalona are too big to fail – I looked at my staff – and so are we.

[Diego Imposta]

135.

Valencia - a loss in the making but we had to see it through. Maestre was back but could I trust him?

We’d try our best to counter but they had Serbian protégé Nemanja Maksimovic to run the midfield. He was the difference in the league, some might say it’s punishment for Mestalla’s previous failings, and at 24 was a full international. Thirteen sub appearances and two starts in La Liga last year for the senior side earned him a role as playmaker-in-chief of the youth side. We’d rein in the creativity, too.

After a short discussion, Amador and Joan would see our central defenders unchanged for the first time this season. Maestre took Castells’ spot on the bench and to distract them from the occasion, I asked Posse to lead the team talk. He reiterated that we had nothing to lose - play the game in front of you and nothing more. They lined up in a flat 4-4-2 and we had to hope we could drag them apart.

An unchanged side passed the opening five minutes with flying colours. As soon as we won our first corner we went to pieces. David García twice failing to find a body with his cross and Mestalla broke up the field and scored, Mir winning headers in both boxes - his strike partner Jiménez volleying it in.

Querol’s frustration earned a booking before ten minutes had been played and it galvanised us. Joan hit a low and hard ball upfield, angry at Matías losing possession, and Mesas cut across the defender and hooked a volley over the ‘keeper for the equaliser. It was sensational no-thinking football. We’re being pushed back after that, and Posse begged Luis Carlos to get in the game: whip in your crosses!

Mestalla were guiding our play into closed quarters so we went to bypass them. Ceding more of the ball was a dangerous tactic but we might get a second, here. Maksimovic took the game by the neck and put chances on a plate for the burly strike partnership but we survived. Some clever pressing of the now very dangerous wingers put Mesas through on goal from 40 metres. We just knew he would not beat the goalkeeper so it was no great surprise he didn’t. The kid needed many chances to score.

Querol should have made it 1-2 from a corner after good feeding work from Matías. The captain did not strike it cleanly. Worried faces littered our bench as the half was drawing to a close. That might have been our chance. Another stray ball from Matías let Mestalla push forward but Joan was a rock at the back now, getting David Garcíá on the ball with his interception from Maksimovic. It came to nothing but it was a good sign. Until the ball came back and Amador tripped Jiménez for a penalty…

Nerves had got the better of him and it was 2-1 to the hosts. Joan picked up a booking soon after. At half-time Maestre warmed up. Jiménez had proved a nightmare for the beleaguered younster. Ideas for what to do were at a premium. Posse bemoaning the crossing again made me think of looking at the direction of our crosses. We should look inside on the underlap. We came flying out of the blocks but Jiménez made it a hat-trick after five minutes. Maestre was on after yet another Amador error.

Mestalla found an energy they had hidden from us and kicked on into top gear. They would not let a pass into their half and by seven minutes Jiménez had his fourth, another excellent set-up from Mir.

Masó was on for some much-needed fitness as he would have to work his socks off at the base of a midfield completely overrun. There was nothing for it but to attack and Rivero was on hand to make two world-class saves to deny Mesas in succession. Wonderful football followed but we just couldn’t make it work. Moreno swapped with Querol to see out the last ten minutes.

[Diego Imposta]

136.

Thursday morning. Who would respond in training? Legs were tired and bottoms were sore from the late bus home. We had the salve of a home game to see out a gruelling seven games in four weeks.

Atlético Baleares were eking out a living but we had yet to record a win. I glanced at the league table and threw the newspaper in the bin before Posse and Álvarez arrived for breakfast. My career would follow if we didn’t start picking up points. Simón would be back in a week or two, as would Segura at centre back and Durán as left-wing cover. It was now or never for the few youngsters in their stead.

Amador and Joan were formidable in training and now keep their place for the visit of the islanders, while Maestre still had a lot of work to do from the bench to convince me that I could trust him. The last bench spot went to Castells, again out-performing every senior, while Ávila would drop out so he could rest up and start next week on the opposite flank to Durán - Muñoz and Aguiar’s time was up.

Press Officer Noel Mata brought it to my attention before kick-off that club legend Albert Cámara is in the news, highlighting Aguiar’s plight at right-back. It was tough to take, as although Aguiar was a man looking to wind down the years by retreating from the wing, I had to play him there for a time.

Gentlemen, it is time to put an end to our poor run of form. Go out there and make it count. For me.

Nothing quite fell for us to begin with but the shredded nerves soon settled. We began to play out from the back, and when Aguiar crunched their left winger Juan Osado he left his opposite number hobbling. Taking inspiration, Muñoz slid in on his man Iker Olalzola. It was horrific. The young winger had to be stretchered off and our man lay prone, too. He looked like he had broken his jaw when his body weight carried him through the challenge. Stupid man! On came Cristian after just ten minutes.

Far too often Querol found himself the furthest forward. He was doing everything he could to keep a hold of the game but splaying passes wide was slowing us down as Mesas was coming too deep. He forced a good save from an underlap but we needed him to be a focal point for the class around him.

With ten minutes of the half remaining, our dominance was not being rewarded. Again this game is for the taking. The class was there but Mesas was being dragged too wide now and abandoning his post. Another change to role should be the marginal gains we need – he was told to sit between the two central defenders and wait for the ball to be released. It was high risk, high reward. Let’s do it.

Another meaty challenge on Osado, their only threat, by Aguiar kicked us on. Creative to the last, the midfield put it on a plate for Mesas and he skewed wide. His pace was so effective but his shooting is still very raw. Sublime to ridiculous. Cabanillas would get on eventually but at half time I was happy.

With a little more freedom to look up and spot the run of Mesas, the team very nearly prevailed. The first attack giving space for Pardavilla to loop one over the ‘keeper from twenty metres. It looked for all the world as if it was dipping in on the diagonal across the box but it clipped the crossbar and out.

Atlético didn’t have a clue how to open us up but we weren’t exactly creating clear chances, either. I was disappointed to see Amador lose his cool after five minutes of the restart as he was robbed of a simple pass from Lorenzo. He had to come off for Maestre before anything serious happened to him.

Luis Carlos was really flagging now and, as promised in the tactical briefing, Castells would debut in this game so on he came. Mesas had better click soon. I asked him to start coming wide to help him.

Another excellent interception from Aguiar, responding to his critic, sent Castells on his way. Such a cool head knocked the ball in to David Garcíá who raked a perfect ball for Mesas to chase. He did not disappoint! The ball was curled up and over the goalkeeper into the far corner. Finally we had a goal.

Maestre should have made in two in two minutes – his header from a wide free-kick falling into the arms of Chopo in the Atlético goal. Now, do we stick or twist? Posse’s words were so heavy in my ear that I couldn’t decide. David García was losing battles in the middle so he was asked to ease off while Mesas was told to revert to his original role in an attempt to close passing lanes. Our playmaker was soon asked to retreat even further into his own half but still keep calling for the ball in a deeper role.

With ten minutes to go I wanted to cede possession. We had played our way into trouble too many times and I just knew we would do it again. Mesas’ pace had exhausted the opposition and I would hope that he had enough in the tank to do it again. We would look to counter in the final minutes.

Strong shouts for a penalty were turned into groans for a free-kick, albeit right on the perimeter of the away team’s box. Aguiar stepped up confidently and whistled the ball out past the side-netting.

With challenges coming in thick and fast in an attempt to unsettle us, I instructed the team to sit and soak it all up. I was adamant that the islanders would not find a way through unless we let them. So, as the clock ticked into the third minute of added time, I watched on as a deep free-kick was struck back from where it came by Maestre. The crowd celebrated before the referee blew his whistle but it was not too soon – the whistle followed and we had won! It’s a very nice victory, a job well done.

A clean sheet was most welcome and I was full of praise in the dressing room. Enjoy the week ahead, I said, because fitness drills will ensure that we can compete for 90 minutes until the winter break is upon us. One week more is all I ask. Dismissed.

[Diego Imposta]

137.

The next evolution of our tactic, gentlemen, is simple. The furrowed brows from my assistant and director of football told me neither knew if this was a rhetorical statement or not. Our strikers aren’t of a standard to play alone, I said, and we can’t risk playing two up front – the second striker kills us.

What are you suggesting? piped Álvarez, the director a fellow acolyte of my preferred 3-5-2. Posse knew the score after my long pause. Who’s getting dropped? Pardavilla, I said. The record summer signing, deadpanned Álvarez. You’re out of your mind Diego. Miguel Ángel Sánchez will destroy you.

Posse presumed correctly that Querol would be shifted back to his familiar role with Simón returning to the right now after his injury lay-off. I informed my two staff members, now sitting back in their wooden chairs on the promenade where we would often eat breakfast together, that Maestre had to return to the team. Our three Badalona heroes in their favoured positions – the vice-captain now back at the base of a three in the middle – it would irk the chairman but appease the dressing room.

It was consistency that we needed, with tweaks here and there. Cristian would come in at left back for a few games with Muñoz out injured and we would push our most effective players higher up the wings. The middle would come together side by side to make use of Matías’ attacking instincts and if the asymmetric dream was over that was fine by me. We were working too hard for scrappy results.

They looked unimpressed. I took my shades off. Look, we have depth on the bench. Game-changing depth. Paravilla and Luis Carlos to cover the wings, Cabanillas up front – what more could we want?

Álvarez now removed his shades. We have the same boss, Diego, and I won’t be pulled in different directions. If the boss says Amador and Joan aren’t fit enough to be our defenders, I will agree with him. It was a frank admission but I had an ace up my sleeve. Do you remember, at the beginning of pre-season, who we played at centre back? Segura. The forgotten man. The towering inferno. The…

Alright, Diego. You have made your point. Half a point, at that, as you played a lot of players out of position in pre-season. Álvarez was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. But he was a football man first and foremost and I knew I would have his support. For a time. Posse was more of a worry to me, as he was starting to see first-hand how much I could chop and change a tactic to suit a whim. He stayed seated after Álvarez left to pay the bill and his mind was somewhere else. What is it Martín? You’re completely missing the point, he told me. The players make hard work of the games because you’re not making hard work of the training. You’re a pushover who rewards kids that don’t know any better. I was startled. This disciplinarian in him was clearly seething. Eight weeks in the job and he’s already gunning for me. The players have no focus, he pleaded. You’ve got players who do not fear you. Let them fear me! The passion stirred in him. I was impressed. He wasn’t gunning for me at all. He was gunning for them. Ok then. Let’s see you try some intensity training…

[Diego Imposta]

138.

There are six positions on the field. Posse was addressing the troops with his hands on his hips. He stood in front of me but my head was not bowed. I caught each of the players eyes that looked in my direction with quizzical looks. He was in charge of training now and there’s to be no doubt about it. The six positions are goalkeeper, central defender, full back, midfielder, winger, and striker. You all have been assigned a position and you will learn it. We will have drills for you to practice every day.

It was impressive. He’d identified three poor performers and said he would make it his mission to be the one to whip them into shape. The two youth ‘keepers Martín and Valles were as guilty as anyone when it came to coasting but young winger Kilian Durán was a real disappointment since pre-season.

His opposite number, José Ramon Castells, was a revelation in his aptitude so he would also get the intensive treatment his natural ability yearned for. The theme of pairs was strong in Posse, retraining tall young fullbacks Ávila and Segura as central defenders and ageing wingers Masó and Aguiar into a central midfield role for cover. Luis Carlos, the enigma, would round out the four-striker partnership.

A small pep talk was required to get them on board. I kept up Posse’s tone and told the team that I wanted to take a moment to say how pleased I am with the recent upturn in form. Understandably, footballers like praise and we were united in thinking that we could yet have a good season ahead.

When the session started, I got on with the paperwork of poring through targets with my director of football Álvarez. By now the shortlist was smaller than the squad. Most were unattached anyway but it was more a case of who did we know about that wanted to play. We’d wait until we needed them.

Shortly after the session, the chairman invited me to the formality of a monthly meeting. I informed him of the changes we were making and how at last I felt like we were ready to start the season. He wasn’t a man to mince his words, and had word that the harmonious atmosphere I had just created was masking an undercurrent of players not quite sure what direction the club was going under me.

Villarreal B were up next, an away trip that we would welcome as they had gone off the boil recently and had slipped five points from the summit after seven games. Following a defeat for the under 19s Enzo Marchese was keen to point out that Joan must continue playing for the first team. It was nice to hear his opinion in our language. He was obviously keen to milk his free ride as youth manager as long as he could but was not about to let his job as head of youth development slide. We’re going in the right direction as a club and a good performance at the weekend is imperative. We would expect a similar 4-1-2-3 DM Wide formation although their central two had licence to push forward. I would temper our own two to deal with it and we would try and hit them on the counter. Luis Carlos would take right wing until Simón was fit but otherwise we would take the same squad of eighteen down to Villarreal.

[Diego Imposta]

139.

The bus was rocking. The players were invested and ready to compete. A mild and cloudy evening in Villarreal awaited us. As the sun was setting we entered the stadium and the players took their seats in the dressing room. They were in good spirits and looking attentive. I wanted a siege mentality for this game so I told them that the media have been on their backs for ages now. This is their chance to go out there and stick it to them by proving them wrong! They understood, bar the younger more inexperienced Mesas and Amador. My faith in them was met with blank stares - they’re too young.

Villarreal held the ball for the first five minutes and probably should have capitalised from our team being all at sea from consecutive corners. Something to work on in the future. We were losing play from the back but we were so deep, trying to force the counter, we had to have another idea. We would push up. Immediately we had traction but a stray switch ball from Mesas pegged us back on the counter ourselves. Villanueva, captain and top scorer from the middle of the park, sent Akale in on the right wing and first time he struck low and hard beyond the outstretched leg of Cristian and the flailing arms of Lorenzo. 0-1 to the yellow submarine. We weren’t down and out but there was a gaping hole in attacking midfield that Mesas was not sufficiently dropping back into. We needed him to lead the line or David García to push ahead of the midfield two. But before we could change it up Villanueva again put Akale through with a sumptuous ball over the top. The ball was cut inside and Aguiar clattered their striker who was running away from goal and out of the box. Penalty. Saved!

Both wingers had to get closed down more often and Mesas would look to sit on the shoulder of the last man. A playmaker would only hold up our counter attacks and besides, David García was sat on their captain and I couldn’t leave him free to dictate the game. Cristian knew the score – he lumped a ball over the top and to my great surprise Mesas tucked it away with aplomb. 1-1 after 20 minutes.

David García was tasked with closing down more often – if he could release the wingers with a short ball then we were making our own luck. We would now play out from the back and drop the counter to facilitate this. It didn’t work immediately so I told them to drop back another ten metres and hold.

Still Querol and Luis Carlos were looking for that quick release. They were told in no uncertain terms that they had to now bring the ball to the byline and look for Mesas, who ironically was now dragged back to create moves. We were very much still in this and against all instruction Matías launched his clearance into the path of Mesas who only had the ‘keeper to beat. He rounded him and stuck it in for 2-1. Two goals from two chances – was he finally turning a corner? The heat was now turned up.

A flurry of half-chances followed for the home team. We would try and control the last five minutes.

At half time we spoke about our happiness at the way things were going. Querol would not need to force his way to the by-line as he was being marginalised. But David García would now be allowed his favoured playmaker role in order to send Villanueva tracking back and get something going with Luis Carlos to his right. We would begin the half neither controlling or countering and Matías would be given licence to attack too. Let’s see what we can do here. Again Villarreal came at us. Again our ‘keeper made an extraordinary save. Aguiar was feeling the heat and picked up his third booking of the season. Cristian, tired, then gave away the ball. It was time for the height and legs of pacey duo Ávila and Duran at full-back but I would swap one then the other. Querol’s performance forced my hand and Pardavilla would come on after fifteen minutes of the second half. Penalty! Where did that come from? Amador shoved Villanueva during a cross that was going out of play. The man himself is to take it this time. A deep breath. The crowd silent. He goes to stroke the ball and Lorenzo has gone the wrong way. Villanueva’s seen it and adjusted. The ball flies toward the top corner and… post! It’s gone wide. Two massive reprieves from silly penalties! Is this the turning point in our season? They have changed to 4-3-3 Narrow so I call Luis Carlos back and send David García even more attacking as we look to control the game and pin them back, five on four. Before we could settle it was 2-2!

A cheap rebound from a corner tucked away by Villanueva and Maestre was cursing his luck again.

Again we must counter so the double-pivot is restrained. A brilliant block keeps Pardavilla at bay but it is time to get David García off the pitch – this is just not the day for him. On come Masó who shifts Matías to the right of the two. He looks good after a minute and Matías seems to be keeping their talisman Villaneuva quiet. Luis Carlos should score from Masó’s neat ball into the box from a corner.

Mesas comes wide to recycle a ball into the box a few phases later and Amador, still up the corner, aims his header high and wide. A real wasted opportunity. Mesas, largely a peripheral figure in the second half, was now tasked with poaching whatever opportunity he could. Could he get a hat-trick?

We would no longer play out of defence for the last ten minutes. It was too dangerous with three up top and Mesas surely had the run of his fellow youngsters if the opportunity presented itself from a long ball over the top. With five minutes to go, Villanueva went off injured, clutching his foot on the stretcher, and we had to act. In an act of desperation I shouted to Masó to play as a mezzala, to get up and down the wing and the middle in equal measure. His fresh legs and left foot could dominate.

It wasn’t to be. 2-3 in the 88th minute – a long ball and long shot beaten into the goal by Lorenzo. An uncharacteristic mistake…     

[Diego Imposta]

140.

We were unlucky. But we were also lucky. Two penalty misses more than cancel out a last-minute winner. I wasn’t blaming anyone, especially not Lorenzo who will remain our number one. He looked relieved while the rest of the team looked motivated that they were applying themselves correctly. I don’t have to put my wits against Villarreal every week but we had to focus on defending next week.

Orihuela were up next, a lower mid-table side promoted the year before last, in what would possibly be our furthest away trip of the season. Beyond Alicante in the south-east, the backdrop mountains and agricultural stadium would remind me of Olot in many ways but the drive was a tortuous affair.

Back at base the three musketeers reviewed the tape for the weekend games. Valencia Mestalla and Castellón played out a 3-4 thriller with incredible goals from usual suspects Maksimovic and Cisneros stealing the show. Big players in this league won you games and Mesas was our only game-changer.

Santa Eulalia looked like a team of strangers to me and they played like it too. They were already five points from safety after eight games and rooted to the bottom of the league. Good riddance, I didn’t say, as a difficult 4-1-3-2 Narrow awaits with none other than my former Santa playmaker Fran Oller.

With Joan pulling his groin midweek we wouldn’t risk his future. Maestre and Matías drop back, with the impressive Masó gaining the left midfield spot. Simón and Segura were fit enough for the bench and the experienced Montero earned a recall too. Durán and Pardavilla drop out entirely this week.

A relaxing team-talk presented itself when Oller didn’t make the squad. Again I reminded the boys to ignore the media as that is what I was doing. Posse took Mesas to one side and told him to carry on.

We bossed possession from the off so we relaxed the need to counter. We then took to playing neat passes but with their first attack of the game they won a penalty. Unbelievable. Amador is adjudged to have held back the striker from getting a rebound from a fabulous save from Lorenzo and it’s 0-1.

We started the game plan again. Orihuela shut it down. A deep cross from their right back Bauti met the penalty striker Buenacasa and after a quarter of the game we are done – a header in off the bar.

We would get Aguiar, David García and Querol attacking their men and Mesas coming deeper. They had seen him coming all day long. We would revert to the five minute plan and hedge our bets here.

It worked. David García beat his man, sent Mesas through, who held it up for the overlapping Querol and his cross was fed back out to Masó, in to Luis Carlos on the right, back into the middle for Mesas and… penalty! David García is tripped on his way toward the ball. Mesas steadied himself and… goal!

Counter attacking for the last ten minutes of the half nearly bore fruit but we were playing too tight and a massive chance went begging for Orihuela in the dying stages. We were not doing badly at all so we geed up the players and told them up the tempo to start the second half. Let’s force mistakes.

It was time to introduce Simón’s pace. Luis Carlos was fit but he was not an able right winger and he would continue his season as an auxiliary striker for me now. He only needed ten minutes! It was 2-2 on the night and Amador’s downward header from a freekick found the hometown hero to stab it in.

Buenacasa then went off injured, similar to last week, and we had to play it cool. A quick-looking sub came on and we sacrificed Maestre who was not having the best of times. Segura was back in action.

We also switched up our flank of attack, Simon would be sent wild down the right with Querol pulled back and Masó sent charging ahead. David Garcíá would be told to hold and sit in as our playmaker.

We had gone too long without a presence up front so Cabanillas, forgotten man, was told to warm up. Another massive chance went begging as Segura, ring rusty, lost his man and Lorenzo palmed it.

A charging underlap from Masó sent Cabanillas through and from an angle he forced a fine save too.

We dropped the tempo for the last ten minutes and would now sit and look for a counter attacking opportunity, albeit measured through a playmaker and a shorter passing style. It could have worked if Querol hadn’t lost the ball in a key area. A perfectly timed sliding tackle from Amador got him out of jail but our nerves were frayed. With five minutes of added time we asked Cabanillas to poach it.

David Garcíá spotted the deep run of Simón, who took it to the byline and the ‘keeper could only hit his cross out for a corner. Simón whipped it in and good hands held Amador’s back-post header firm.

In the fifth minute of injury time we were given a gift. Cabanillas, back to goal and on the touchline near the half-way line, exchanged a throw-in with Aguiar. He pulled it back to David García who sent one over the top for Simón to take down on the chest, turn, and cross it in. No-one was there. The old legs of Cabanillas hadn’t quite made it. But he didn’t need to. Bauti headed blindly into his path and bam! 3-2 to Badalona! A left foot volley from the middle of the box and the ‘keeper could only palm it into his side netting. He was off the mark in style. The players held out heroically for the last.

What a comeback! A compelling performance, too. We were scoring goals now and we’re knitting together into real team. It was an unenjoyable bus ride again as the euphoria soon wore off but as we pulled up to Estadi de Montigalà at midnight many a hug was shared. An extraordinary day out.

We were out of the relegation zone by a point and I intended to leave it behind for good. We had a salve next week with a home game and it was important to me that we had a good go at Sabadell.

Mesas, 16, was now fourth top scorer in the league and he had the most shots taken this season. We had better get other strikers fit before he starts misfiring on us.

[Diego Imposta]

141.

We didn’t want to make spectacular changes but there were a few concerns in the side. With Muñoz returning from a dislocated jaw, it was the perfect time to jettison Aguiar from right back and move Cristian over to his natural side. A pre-season stint at centre back and a manful display at right back kept Aguiar in my thoughts as both he and Masó would see out the season training midfield roles. Both were over 30 so this was something of a risk but I had no need for them on the wings nor full back. Besides, their natural attacking endeavour allied to their defensive experience would benefit.

Simón in for Luis Carlos was a no-brainer after his display coming back off a five-game injury to his ankle. David Garcíá was probably lucky to hold onto his place ahead of Masó who drops out in order to get Moreno in the middle. These two would duke it out for the playmaker role and audition at the same time. So its three, or three and two half changes if you count Cristian moving flanks and David García swapping sides in the middle, changes that is as a far as I would go - Aguiar and Masó: bench.

It was time to look at brining in a new face. We had one slot available for an under-23 player and not a single name on file that met that criteria, unless I wanted to bring back another under-19 player on this side of the window. It could be done, sure, but at twice the wage budget I had to tread carefully.

There were a number of players who could have their one-year options triggered and I was all about it. A number of players were already signed on to the next season – Simón, Maestre, and Pardavilla (surely the exit route for Querol) were the big earners. Matías and David García in the engine room, Joan at the back along with untried but included youth players Plà and Ángel Luis in the middle too.

Aguiar was a game away from an automatic extension and Moreno five. With Masó having a trigger like the other two retrained central midfielders, that was nearly ten percent of our current budget I didn’t want to be spending next year. Amador, Ávila, Segura, and Rivas were all young, hungry men and were immediately taken on for another year. Goalkeeper Paz was about to lose his place to the experienced Saavedra for the second half of the season so no deal for him, whilst fullbacks Cristian and Muñoz, attacker Luis Carlos, and striker Cabanillas had the rest of the year to prove themselves. At present those already retained were close enough to what the budget for this season should be.

Sabadell had strung together four wins in a row but that was their season total before falling to yet another defeat last weekend. They were a fragile, but monied, group of mercenaries with no less than six loan players in and around their first eleven. They had a rookie coach with one full year of management under his belt and I had to head into my third year with the confidence of experience, regardless of the ability we would surely be expected to surrender to. We’d spent all week learning attacking drills and all weekend practicing attacking set-pieces. We were the home team so we had to act like it. We must start strong.

[Diego Imposta]

142.

Posse took my arm and said that they looked attentive and ready to listen. Tell them that they are expected to prove a point today. It was food for thought. I walked in behind him. A silence fell over the players in the dressing room. I let rip. This is a great opportunity to show all the critics that they are wrong. Go and show them what we’re made of! And with that, Querol led them into the tunnel.

They were a well-drilled side, moving sideways together and backwards together. We were deep but we needed to be deeper. Their centre-forward Titi was quicker than Meastre and Amador but I did not back on him being stronger too. They really were superb but Titi was rattled and missed a sitter.

We would track a little narrower, too. A solid base was needed if we were going to win this one. Titi was now coming in from either side of the central defenders and we had to shut it down. Our passes were abysmal. I bellowed at them to retain possession at all costs. It had been a long fifteen minutes already and once we got a foothold five minutes we could organise our discipline a bit better indeed.

Immediately we conceded. A long, wide free-kick was hooked in and sailed over the back post and it met the head of their number five who sent it back where it came from for 0-1. We were devastated and after riding out the half hour we looked to hit them on the counter as we couldn’t play through.

They were too good. Five minutes from time a shot from well outside the box sailed in and it’s clear that Sabadell were a vastly superior side. Two shots, two stunning goals. We nearly had our own, too but Querol’s header from a deep Simón cross hit the post and went wide - he just couldn’t believe it.

I was furious at the break. We had to show something else in the second half. Tear it up. Push it high and wide, lads. Get in their faces and force an error. Titi got the better of the defenders from a long ball from the back and it was three. An abject showing from our boys tonight, undone by a highlight reel of goals. We needed a rethink – we were being carved apart. Sabadell had scored each shot on target. We tightened up and decided to take the 0-3. Rivas would get a run out for the last half hour.

They played through us like we were shadows. We were not within five metres of their players for the entire game. Their fitness levels were excellent but each man had the ability to swivel their head and look for a pass before the ball was received. We were humbled. Their midfielders had twice as much of the ball as ours and it was difficult not to be utterly dejected by the final whistle. Game over and a sixth defeat in ten games, easily our worst, would be fuel for the press in the morning. What I must not do is change the plan. We must carry on as normal. We must keep me in a job, is what I am really thinking. I don’t think I’m in trouble but this needs to be a blip. Next weekend we are at home again. Another no-show and the fans will want blood.

[Diego Imposta]

143.

The definition of insanity, Diego. Álvarez was right. To throw the same side at the opposition was a move so bold it ought to be considered certifiable. I convinced them that it was just a bad day at the office. Buying breakfast helped, of course. The trouble was that Alcoyano would present much in the same vein in terms of 4-4-1-1 but they were wildly inconsistent. They’d only beaten Santa Eulalia in the last five and 1-0 at that. We went back to the stadium, watched the weeks highlights in my office and felt pretty upbeat about Alcoyano. As predicted, all three goals against us looked brilliant on TV.

After a punishing week of fitness to pay for the statue impersonations against Sabadell, Posse was in a buoyant mood on matchday. He was happy with the match preparation training - we’d had gelled.

Good tracking back by Simón in the first phase pleased me. Their striker peeled away from Amador all too easily in the third minute so I barked at him to get touch-tight. An inch-perfect tackle minutes later justified the decision. We were poor in possession, however, despite the Alcoyano’s frustration.

They countered well. A cleared header from inside the box was launched down to mine. Torres beat the ‘keeper to it, kept it cool, and slotted home for 0-1 on 16 minutes. He’d cannily pulled Amador to the other side of defence and left Maestre panicked looking for his defensive partner and bottling it.

With a quarter of the game gone we still hadn’t had a shot. There was nothing for it but change it up and go 4-2-3-1 Wide. We would carry over passing, crossing, and marking instructions and just hope.

Of course, it didn’t change things. In injury time let their number 10 in free on the penalty spot. We had six men in the box to their one and yet he was free. A touch, a shot, a goal. It was unforgivable.

An hour gone and still no shots. Whatever had happened to this team? Again the midfield had twice the ball ours had. There was just no fight whatsoever. Segura was on for the listless Moreno, surely his last appearance, and Maestre was pushed into his holding role and Matias into the middle of the park. Cabanillas was on for young Mesas. We began to play but Cabanillas missed a glorious chance to get us back in the game. We watched them play us off our own park some more, unable to win a single ball back until it went out of play. A lucky break saw Cabanillas in again and again he fluffed his lines. A third chance ten minutes from time and he buried it! Game on! Or so I thought. Football, eh?

A carbon cut of the first goal saw Torres, not a danger since, do the same again. It was such a passive display again that I simply had nothing to say to the players at full time. We are dead. Three points is the distance from safety now and we are now the team with the most goals conceded except Santa Eulalia who miraculously only have conceded two more in these eleven games. With Mallorca away next, it was looking like time go. Eight points from my opening twelve games is resignation worthy.

On Monday morning I held a team meeting. The message: don’t let your heads drop. Mallorca could destroy our careers…

[Diego Imposta]

144.

We needed to tighten up as much as we needed to loosen up. Munoz would be asked to stick beside the central defenders at all times while Simón would be tasked with pushing forward and making the defenders panic with his pace. An asymmetry was forming again. Moreno was not capable of being the attacking catalyst – David Garcia wouldn’t be asked to sit on the left of the double-pivot, either.

In training, I could no longer ignore Joan and youth prospects Plà and Miquel. Maestre would move to his preferred defensive midfield position, Matías up again on the right-hand side – an aggressive ball-winning role was needed. Plà would be given his debut away to Mallorca in an advanced creator role. Pardavilla trumped Querol in commitment during the week as did the driven youngster Castells his senior Simón. Mesas would be released into a free poaching role and Miquel would make bench.

Posse was on board with the five changes to the squad of eighteen but Álvarez knew the writing was on the wall. If this didn’t work, he would not be able to stand by me. And by work, I meant getting at Mallorca in any way we could. It was folly to expect a victory but we sure could spring a big surprise.

Back to the Balearics by boat, as is customary from my time at Santa Eulalia, was a real treat for the players. I got extra time with the young boys to thank them for their hard work in training and also to put a shoulder around some of the more professional seniors such as ‘keeper Lorenzo and Matías.

A beautiful stadium, a beautiful day. I assured the team that they had nothing to lose. Let’s have it!

We held out so, so well. It took the home side 14 minutes to force their first shot and consequently their first corner. We had contained them, albeit at the cost of creating our own chances. However, we were in it. We had an equal share of the ball and the fans started to get on Mallorca’s back early.

It was 20 minutes before they forced a good save from Lorenzo. After a few tactical tweaks we held well but again keeping possession was difficult and forced another chance for them. Lorenzo stood firm but they switched to a counter attack! Amador’s extra closing down after missing interceptions cost us dear – he arrived late, with two feet, and he was off after 26 minutes. An absolute disaster!

The spirit of Maestre, captain in Querol’s absence, needed to be strong as he dropped back into the back line. Their counter-attack was devastating. Posse suggested that we try and contain for the rest of the half and I had to agree. Mallorca could not find a way through. A 43rd minute corner found a free head and it was game over. Centre-forward Dioni was unmarked – Matías at fault – and it’s 0-1.

Plà had a good debut but he was making mistakes. Miquel was on in his stead and given a suitable general role and told to enjoy himself out there. We would up the ante slightly and look for Mesas.

A rousing team-talk got the players too happy with their performance and we nearly conceded for the second time in five minutes played. After eight minutes Cristian was down in a heap – it really wasn’t our day – Simón was on for his experience. Two minutes later it was two – a by-line cross is chested in. We had no choice but to try and contain them once more. If we could get away with a two-nil loss I would take that. A disappointing showing from Pardavilla earned Querol a cameo to help see us through. It did the job and the final whistle was a relief. It was a false start but it was a start. Mallorca were lucky to get away with anything tonight and I commended the players for their discipline in dealing with ten men for over an hour. Let’s see what happens now.

[Diego Imposta]

145.

There was nothing to be said about the Mallorca game. We must always be planning. Elche away and Zaragoza B at home were tough ties on paper - a top half and a top four side in middling form.

If the chairman wishes, Álvarez, I will take these two games. Ontinyent and Santa Eulalia, the only two sides below us, were consecutive home games after that – a perfect springboard for Posse if he was given the caretaker job in my absence. Very well, Diego. He was frank, in that he made it clear that the chairman is satisfied at best. He expects the team’s position to improve and I had to deliver.

We would absolutely go for it in the biggest stadium in the league. 34 000 seats. It was time to make a name for ourselves. Wingbacks Ávila and Segura were in, although we would still pinch at left back and push at right wing. Maestre moves back and Matías is given licence to support from a deep role and feed play out to the wings. All week we worked on getting stuck in, staying disciplined with the ball, and using that structure to hit them on the counter. David Garcíá would be given an box-to-box role to try and eke a performance from him while Moreno was recalled to the left of midfield again.

Durán, moaning about a lack of chances, finally had one on the left wing after Pardavilla’s poor show last week. He was one of a few senior pros moaning at the training workload. They would all sit out the experience; Luis Carlos, Rivas, and Aguiar would all stay at home and plot their route back to me.

A quiet pre-match training session was followed by a cautious team talk. Today’s the day. Within 27 seconds Elche hit the post, getting a ball over the top and Lolo Plà lashing a strike off the near post. The ball cleared for a corner, it found its way back to the number nine who flicked it on to the back post and centre half Golobart cushioned it in. The stadium, the crowd – it was all too much for them.

Elche could track back quicker than we could move the ball. It was frightening. We had to slow down if we were going to get a goal today. In an attempt to shake things up, we pushed Moreno up into an advanced position and sat Matías and David García together. A couple of errors saw a lightning Elche race up to our box and win a penalty, Maestre pushing that man Lolo Plà. Their number ten Muneta sent Lorenzo the wrong way but his strike kept on rising and went over the bar! Thirty minutes gone.

A disgusting and needless trip by the already-booked Pepelu on a surging Moreno saw him rightly off and I hoped it would change the game in our favour. We would move to a flat midfield four and get Moreno and Mesas overlapping up top. We would attack down both wings in order to tire out Elche.

Finally we were playing some football and finally we had a shot, Mesas skewing high and wide but it filled us with confidence. A Moreno corner in injury time was headed off the bar by Maestre, before Joan had the rebound cleared off the line and on to the post. You could not make it up! I resolved to unleash the kraken in the second half. Keep going! They are a man down and we can get a win here!

Querol and Simón were on for young wingers Duràn and Castells. We did not start well as we did not fathom the opposition would move to a 4-3-1-1 formation and charge through our soft underbelly. If ten minutes of nothing didn’t panic me, Mesas’ terrible one-on-one miss minutes later definitely did.

We regrouped into our starting formation and looked for that killer chance to level the tie. A long old afternoon was turning sour. Fifteen minutes to go and I sacrificed Moreno and went two up top with Cabanillas sitting just off Mesas. We were not making the extra man count and the home side were bigger than us, stronger than us, and quicker than us. They would counter and move the ball box to box in three passes and have a shot. We reverted to a flat midfield. We had run out of ideas and or the ability the pull them off. To perfectly sew up the game, substitute Benja curled the ball into the net in the second minute of added time. It was a hell of a goal and from some distance too. We were done. A chance for one last hurrah was woefully spurned by Mesas in the 95th minute. We’re a joke.

It was now six games in a row that we suffered an early setback. Five times it proved terminal – the turnaround at Orihuela being the exception. Four defeats on the spin – five and I could expect to get my things out of the beautiful office. At least I will have one last chance to see us play at Montigala.

The drive back from Elche had taken us into the next day. Not a word was said since the final whistle.

The Monday paper was quick to note that the next game could cost me my job. No doubt our press officer had been briefed to distance the chairman from my poor performance; they gave me an out.

It was hard to look back on a career that had started so well with that sweet cup win, the turnaround job at Santa Eulalia, and now this deeply uncomfortable relegation scrap. We had already used four different formations this season, even if they were a logical transitional tweak of the previous tactic.

Our lack of depth at centre back and centre midfield was really hurting us.  The only time looked like a solid outfit was the asymmetric. It gave us two options up front and covered our weak left full back area with a left winger pulled back. I had to find a way to appease the powerful triumvirate and turn this team into a meritocracy. Then it hit me. Querol and Simón at full back. Both had past experience of it and I could keep Duràn and Castells working hard in front of them Duràn the more defensive of the two anyway. It was just so crazy it might work. Meastre would sit in and all of a sudden we had a wealth of experience in our leaky back line.

[Diego Imposta]

146.

A classic, cohesive, conservative 4-4-2. Zaragoza B would not have any surprises up their sleeves but what they did they did well. They would almost certainly aim to control the ball in their half before a counter attack presented itself. A number of our players were beginning to tire of the extra training I had laid on but it may yet be a moot point. We were working on making them better players, mainly.

Maestre would step out, Joan would step back. This gave the freedom to Matías to be our playmaker with David García again asked to operate in a box-to-box role to fill in the gaps. Should we get stuck with the ball under out feet, Lorenzo will play a sweeper role at the back. His speed wasn’t being put to good use, nor his commanding ability to claim high balls. He had no choice but to roll the ball out.

A third win on the bounce for Marchese’s under 19’s justified the inclusion of Amador and Angel Luis at the back with Plà and Miquel in midfield. A nice 2-1 victory away Llagostera got a top ten position.

Cabanillas and Luis Carlos deservedly lead us out the next day. Both recently exiled from the side for differing reasons, they had their chance to turn on the style and work something out together as the spearhead of the side. We had not had a midday kick-off at home since the first week of the season.

On the morning of the game Adán Vega, my much-holidayed personal assistant, was pleased to hand me my very first coaching certificate. It was just a part-time course and largely a vocational one but a relief given its timely boost to my CV. I met with the chairman and thanked him for his generosity – I told him that this piece of paper justifies my first two years as a manager – what I needed now was a justification for this year. Miguel Angel Sanchez looked me up and down, friendly suspicion in his eye for the first time, and gave in to the brinkmanship. After a pause, he said that while it was naturally a very valid thing to want to do, he feared that bettering myself could lead to a bigger club coming for my services. He was inclined to say no. He was a very smart gentlemen indeed. I had to tread careful.

I told him that he had to see this as something that will be of benefit to the entire club and not just me. It was a bold claim but there was an element of truth to it. I had enough on my CV now to move on but the next result might move me on anyway. He saw right through it. He was not prepared to take the risk of me using the club to improve said CV before disappearing to a bigger side. At least he was friendly about it. He could have said I wasn’t destined for better things. He is a good custodian.

It got me thinking, though. I had settled at Badalona, finally got an idea of what these players were about, and had at least made them a cohesive team. What I couldn’t do was magic results. We had two wins and two draws from 13 games and it simply wasn’t enough to give the supports confidence that it wasn’t going to be a long, hard season ahead.

[Diego Imposta]

147.

This was my big break. I arrived at Estadi de Montigalà feeling awed by the infrastructure. The offices were immaculate, modern, and housed top professionals in their field. The chairman was smart, the press officer ran the club like an operations manager - it felt as if I had finally arrived as a manager…

We began the game in toasty 27-degree heat and dominated possession from the off. We soon wore off but not before getting the ball in and around the Zaragoza box. We had prepared to see them set up from the beginning. Posse came and stood beside me on the touchline, ordering shorter passing.

Not conceding yet was by no means a victory – we knew that was the away team’s plan all along. But a booking for Matías on the halfway line gave them a chance to regroup and from the resulting play their towering centre forward clipped his shot off the top of the bar from a cross that hung in the air.

Zaragoza were really starting to play now, putting their foot on the ball and looking up. A cagey first half came to a close wit both sides having five shots each, with one on target for us and one hitting the woodwork for them. It was a tense affair and they definitely shaded it. We couldn’t work it into shooting areas. There was nothing to be said at half time other than Cabanillas being pulled deeper.

Five minutes after the restart we were retreating naturally so we decided to risk the counter and try to control the possession of the ball. With nothing doing in the ten minutes that followed we went on the offensive. All the while we were making tweaks, Posse more vocal than ever. The chairman would be watching him very closely today. I didn’t have any problem with it. He’s earning his money.

Duràn and Castells had seen frighteningly little of the ball. Pardavilla and Moreno were on to try and use their experience to make the right call when they did get it. Mesas was sent on to try and kick on from Cabanillas’ good, but ultimately restrained, work. Mesas was straight in amongst it but support was thin on the ground. He held the ball well, popping it back to David Garcíá when required, taking off beyond the defenders. We were looking good for another clear cut chance before the game’s up.

He did it. He did it! A wonderful ball over the defenders thigh from Simón sent Moreno through. His expert cross to the near post was met by a leap of extraordinary proportions from Mesas who hit it up and over the ‘keeper and nestled into the far netting. We had done it! I could not remember the last time we had taken the lead. The next minute was vital. Moreno nearly made it two, returning a favour from Mesas who had found space on the left wing. I wouldn’t change anything now. We must see this off. Pardavilla should have made it two after being sent in by Luis Carlos. We were camped, entrenched even, in the Zaragoza third that we risked being cut open by their famed counter attack.

We had to close them down more. They were just as tired as us but a goal was coming. I could feel it.

We juddered into the last ten minutes Zaragoza were slinging 50 metre balls behind our defence. We had to stop closing them down! It was exposing our frailty at the back. We had to take back control.

They had infinitely more energy than us, closing down every pass. Mistakes were made. Retreat! We had good value in the counter as we bled into the last five minutes. They threw absolutely every ball at us. Zaragoza were irresistible. We retreated further and further. 20 men were in our box at some stages of the last five minutes. Four minutes of added time. Eleven men behind the ball. The last kick of the game goes to Lorenzo… victory!

[Diego Imposta]

148.

Sometimes you have to upset people in order to get results, as evidenced by ignoring some moans about training, whereas sometimes you have to make people happy to get results. Paz, the superb understudy to Lorenzo, came into the office and wanted a word. He was honest and humble in equal measure, wanting his chance in the first team. We compromised by agreeing to him getting a shot in these two home games against relegation rivals Ontinyent and Santa Eulalia. He deserved that much.

Pardavilla and Moreno clearly gave us something we didn’t have and they would be in the team, too.

Posse recommended that we flatten the defensive partnership at the back and give last week’s man of the moment Matías less of a defensive role. We could pull back Cabanillas too and try a fluid day.

I felt no guilt following the team out of the tunnel – there were five games before the winter break and I intended to win three on the trot. Posse would not be short of offers even if I got sacked later.

Five minutes in and a Moreno free-kick caused panic for both sides. David García should have scored but the Ontinyent ‘keeper was alert to the pinball rebound. Posse wanted shorted passing to draw in more fouls. It was a dangerous game asking for trouble yet we were on the crest of a wave. Only Luis Carlos made us look like a footballing side but the away side’s main distraction wasn’t involved in the opener. Wonderful football down the right channel saw the ball worked in to Cabanillas, who turned back to goal and snuck in Pardavilla for his first goal for the club, striking diagonally low, hard, and in.

A surprisingly quiet half thereafter didn’t fill me with confidence. Our crossing was being snuffed out by the towering Ontinyent defence. Their pace at full back meant that any attempt at the overlap is extinguished too. We had to try and get it in to feet. In doing so, a missed cross fell to Pardavilla who somehow managed to get a shot off the underside of the bar and out. Ontinyent were nervous, it is clear that a second would finish them off. Luis Carlos nearly did it with a volley after taking it down on his chest. We had to make it count in front of goal. Just as I was thinking it Posse bellowed it out.

Campos clawed away a great Cabanillas header in injury time to force a corner. We gave everything.

Delicious football got the second half underway and we had an immediate corner. Under half-time instruction to whip any and all crosses in, Moreno finally beat the first man and the ball fell loose to Cabanillas outside the box who failed to turn and was eventually fouled. We needed to be smarter.

Just as Mesas came on Joan went down hard. Segura was on in an unlikely 50th minute double-sub.

We were starting to look very leggy indeed and Ontinyent had found some energy. Mesas missed three good half-chances in a row and I thought this may sap the confidence. We had to counter it.

Ontinent’s first shot on goal went in. A free-kick on the edge of the left of the area found Keita who was unmarked. With ten men in the box he was unmarked. It was unforgivable. Another deep free kick five minutes later and we were behind. What the hell had just happened? Again unmarked with eight men in the box. We had fallen to pieces. It was a total disaster. Five minutes of injury time to sort this mess out. We were useless thereafter. I felt physically sick. Two goals fifteen minutes from time and we were turned over. Seventeen shots and three on target. It was just not good enough. I tore into the players. We were now four points from safety when we should have been one ahead of the rest. I could not fault Paz for that at all – he had nothing to do before being let down by his team.

My attention turned to our only must-win game of the season: Santa Eulalia. They had two points in fifteen games and I enjoyed that statistic greatly. That will be two teams who have been relegated in the season after I left. Not exactly headline stuff but it kept the fire in me alive. Furious, we got back on the training pitch at eight in the morning on Monday. We had to be cohesive and not fade away.

With Chief Scout Ballesté calling a meeting to go over a few transfer targets, I could not have been a more distracted man. Lleida had given their manager the sack that morning. Eleven games without a win and they were now two points off the relegation zone. I didn’t even see the slide down the table but I was quick to pick up the phone. Of course I threw my hat in the ring – we were playing them in an Under 19s game this afternoon. I was a very odd bedfellow in Marchese’s dugout. The Italian had thought I was going to sack him, I’m sure. The game was unbelievably dull but at least Marchese had a idea to change it. With both teams playing 4-2-3-1 Wide and not a chance to be seen, he shored it up with a 4-4-2. The Lleida fullbacks and number ten were impressive – something was going to get done today and it would come from them. It actually came from a long free-kick headed in by central defender Ángel Pérez, beating Víctor Manuel Orta who was easily Badalona’s best player on the day.

Lleida obviously thought the job was done on 70 minutes as they took the scorer off for a rest, safe in the knowledge that we had no answers for them. I wasn’t going to start telling Marchese what to do after our disastrous recent run. Amador martialled the defence well but with eleven shots, none on target, it was clear that this was just wasteful kids football. Still, it was an interesting window into a club that needed direction. Lleida represented just about the only club I could reasonably expect to at least be considered for that could improve on my 8th place finish last year. Whether this year has ruined those chances or not, time will tell. But it was time to jump before I am pushed and I have to start taking note of which clubs become available. Four games left until the winter break. Welcome, Santa Eulalia, to hell!

[Diego Imposta]

149.

With Alberto the only man remaining from last season in their matchday squad, I made sure to not go near any Santa Eulalia players or officials. This was business. And potentially an audition for me.

After a tense start in which we let them in within seconds, the old Maestre put us ahead with his header from Querol’s free-kick on the left wing. To go ahead within ten minutes was sweet relief.

Cabanillas made it two on ten minutes and I was on cloud nine, ecstatic that we were putting this horrible team to the sword. Pardavilla played a diagonal cross-field ball to Moreno, who hooked it back into the box for the experienced striker to head it at the near post. We calmed down for a bit only for Joan to pull down their striker after losing a long ball over the top. Penalty kick after thirty minutes! Alberto stepped up, as was customary during my tenure, and stroked it home to give them a way back into the game. Another clean sheet for Paz lost but Joan got away with just a yellow card.

An incredible mistake by Maestre let their striker Ruiz in again. He was unopposed on the right wing but tripped and fell, letting the striker dash in to take the ball and force Paz into a fine stop. Corner.

Ángel Ruiz was giving us a real hard time at the start of the second half. Paz was more than equal to him and operated the sweeper keeper role with aplomb. As we camped in their box for minutes on end we finally got the cushion restored – Moreno thrashing a free-kick up and over the wall for 3-1.

Cabanillas should have made it four with a volley from Simón’s ball from right-back on ten minutes.

Joan wasn’t have the best game of his career and with a booking to boot made way once more for Segura. Luis Carlos was also brought off for Duràn who was given a free role behind Cabanillas. He is so good technically but I wanted him to use his brain. Simón then crossed to Pardavilla for four one!

With the game won, Castells was given a run out at centre-forward. He would be given a chance to score from the spot as Maestre was pulled down from a free-kick. He nervously stepped up before a trick of the eyes sent the ‘keeper the wrong way for five. What a performance from this side. Ruiz of course would have the final say with a great solo goal two minutes from time. He wasn’t finished for starters, with another sublime goal in the fourth minute of added time. 5-3 didn’t have the same ring to it as 5-1 but we were out of the relegation zone and that was all that mattered to me at the time.

A team meeting was called to clear the air. Those unhappy with training will have their workload put back, those who are happy to carry on will have the option of doing so. We’ve been doing ok lately but I know we can do a lot better. Posse raised his eyebrows but I didn’t hold his gaze. Let’s kick on and give the fans something to shout about. Simón was most proud. Diego is right, let’s keep things going in the right direction. It was exactly the reaction I was after. Cornellà away was a relegation six pointer up next.

[Diego Imposta]

150.

Moreno had decided to wait until scoring his first goal for the club before announcing his retirement at the end of the season. It was bittersweet but it was also a huge let-off – I had inadvertently given him another year’s extension due to him making ten appearances for the club. Thankfully all bets are now off and he will go ahead and retire. But I couldn’t help myself – I’d just got him going and I still had Aguiar’s deal on hold so I thought why not ask him to reconsider retirement. One more year for Diego and I’ll keep Aguiar on, too. How does that sound? If I could convert them both into a central midfield partnership they would be terrific cover for the squad, whether I was here not. Experience!

Cornellà were another simple side who did the basics well. They hid behind a highly structured style in their 4-4-1-1 and even had a touch of flair with their left wing-back coming inside to pick the ball off the destroyer in the middle of the park. I could get at them on that right wing. It’s Moreno time.

We would focus on set-pieces ahead of the game but all the talk was of Jandro Orellana. The Barça starlet had been on our radar for some time but scout Ballesté was certain we could snap him up. I had made a tentative enquiry with the B team managing director but was told we would have to pay up to € 200 000. Miguel Ángel Sánchez refused to cough up more than the € 50 000 we had, thinking the boy was an unrealistic target. I went ahead and offered that amount anyway but the story was leaked to the press. No-one else at Badalona knew about it but I couldn’t tell which side it suited to have the news printed in the paper that we couldn’t afford the player. He was out of favour in the B team after consolidating two seasons for the under 19s first with the captaincy and then the UEFA youth league title. Such pedigree being interested in our club was fascinating. Why had it gone sour?

As was customary on a Thursday, we would pick the provisional side for the weekend game. Then an email came through. Barcelona wanted € 190 000 and 40% of any future fee. The kid’s deal ran out next summer he had a release clause of € 220 000 anyway! I decided to be very, very calculating. We can offer 50%, I said, but we are prepared to give you our entire budget when his contract expires…

Querol’s mildly unprofessional reaction to our team talks earned him a place on the bench; Muñoz was back. Segura was in for Joan’s poor performance and largely we had a close to match-fit bench to choose from. I let Posse guide our roles for the day in an attempt to get the players gelling quick.

Naturally, Barça were not playing ball. I pulled out of negotiations before they did and the bad news got worse – David García had twisted his ankle and would be out until January. We had to tweak all of Posse’s thoughts in the final hour of Saturday night, with physio Vázquez acting as counsel to us.

Moreno would sit in the middle and Mesas would occupy right wing. We needed his pace in there.

I was happy to win the toss and kick-off in their stadium. We had a chance to silence the home fans.

They recovered from a nervous start and got their first shot off in 18 minutes against us. It was high and wide. A tense half followed with shots available at a premium. The nerves were palpable from both sides and a single goal would be enough to decide the game. Unless of course we both settled.

Consecutive corners for the hosts forced good saves from Paz but we had to start keeping the ball.

Matías was looking uncharacteristically nervous and despite winning his aerial battles his passing is shot and his tackles non-existent. Joan was on in his place and tasked with protecting the back four.

Mesas had skewed a shot wide with time and space so Simón was pushed forward to deal with that chance if it came up again. Mesas was off, forgettable in an unfamiliar role, and Cristian would fit in.

Querol was on for the tiring Luis Carlos. This needed a captain’s intervention as the nerves were now set in. As we entered the last ten minutes this would turn into a battle of wills. We had been below par but we did not deserve to lose this one. My heart sank when the hosts got a corner in the third minute of added time. The cross came in, and cleared to the edge of the box to their number ten. If his rocket had been ten centre meters lower it was game over. We rolled into the final minute with the goal kick and won a free-kick just inside their half for hand-ball. Segura stepped up to take it and the ball was simply worked around midfield until the referee blew his whistle. I couldn’t wait to hear the Lleida result and marched down the tunnel as soon as I could. They had somehow won 4-2 down at Zaragoza. Director of Football Jordi Esteve was doing a fine job with four points from two games.

Albert Esteve, the chairman, shortly informed me that I did not make the Lleida shortlist. It was cruel because they were one place above us in the league and I finished last season well above them, too.

Querol had trained magnificently and would oust Muñoz once more. Cabanillas lost his place to the man desperate for first-team football Rivas. He had finally put in an awesome performance during training this week and he got his just rewards. Luis Carlos confounded the critics of his recent form and he too pulled out all the stops. Hospitalet would be an entirely different proposition that recent games and we had to respect their footballing ability. Manolo González, the man who took Badalona down after four years in charge, had the cheek to suggest that our recent turnaround had nothing to do with me. My first press-conference appointment in months was relished. Rubén Crespo, from the Spanish Football Informer, asked me for my response. I didn’t hold back. I told him that I’m left here trying to clean up the mess he made. I batted away all questions about Hospitalet form and players as I simply didn’t care.

[Diego Imposta]

151.

Hospitalet’s stadium was wonderfully situated among the high-rise apartments and soaked in that Catalan sun. It took ten minutes for the game to open up, Luis Carlos playing in Rivas at some really good work down the right. The young striker shot wide from an angle but it was a good taste of goal.

Their technical superiority began to show as the half wore on. No more real chances from either side bar a long shot from Hospitalet to get the fans off their feet, I decided to act. We would push higher.

We won a rare corner which begat another which was similarly wasted. We would need fine margins today. We would see out the half with a pressing game to suit our high line and counter attack here.

A groin strain ended Matías’ involvement early but Joan slotted in nicely. A well-worked free-kick by Querol found Moreno who shot wide before the half-time whistle. We were getting closer and closer here. The stats were identical – three shots each and not a save for the goalkeepers to make. Talking about creating chances dominated the team talk. We were happy but we need to express ourselves!

Hospitalet really turned on the style to start the second half and were rewarded with a goal – a deep cross from the left wing finding the right winger who volleyed in. Mesas’ frustration was evident and I knew he had to come off. Rivas had done nothing wrong. I would give him the benefit of the doubt and it paid off. A lovely through-ball over the top from Simón found the striker’s path and, holding the man off, took a touch and passed it into the far corner from the penalty spot. Satisfied that Rivas had his goal after an excellent week’s training, I swapped him with Mesas for one shot at turning the attitude around. A dreadful mistake by Segura, losing the ball from his own touch, let the striker get a shot at goal but thankfully it was high and wide. Pardavilla had again been poor – I didn’t expect us to struggle with a record signing – so Duràn was given some more first-team minutes like he wanted.

We were now finding some joy in the air so Cabanillas was on for the last ten with strict instruction a must – float the ball to him and see what he can do. An atrocious throw-in from Querol left us wide open at the back and Paz had to be at his very best to turn it behind! They were pushing forward in numbers now and we had to hope that our counter-attack would get more prominence for the last ten minutes. The fourth official held aloft the number five to indicate added time. Posse was furious.

With the players looking exhausted we had no choice but to take a breather. An excellent save from a squared free-kick kept us in the game late on. Could we survive the corner? Duràn hacked the ball clear before Simón rushed to gain possession. He passed it inside to Maestre who launched it down the right wing looking for Cabanillas. This was it. Our last chance. He came inside, played it short to Luis Carlos but the talisman battled for it back. They exchanged passes once more before feeding the captain who lost possession cheaply. Hospitalet counter. The ball was won and lost again. It wouldn’t go out of play! Finally Joan cleared a kick from Paz out but still the referee gave the throw-in. They had one wild speculative shot from the by-line which struck the post and went out. Surely this was it.

Everybody thought we’d get beaten today, well done for proving them wrong. Great result! Fired up for the next game, the players were now delighted. All of the post-match walk was about Lleida, the injury to Matías, and whether we could cope. It was a nice break from the usual stress of nonsense.

Our next opponent, Prat, were a clear four points and one game ahead of us.

[Diego Imposta]

152.

Prat won their game in hand and leapt up the table. The gap was still four points but now Lleida was the target. A huge win for the beleaguered Atlético Baleares boss in the six-pointer against Orihuela, who’s manager was also in trouble, brought both sides to within a point of us, sitting in the play-off position. Another loss for Sabadell cost the manager his job, as the promotion play-off hopefuls slid to one point ahead of Lleida in a mini-league consisting of them, Prat, newly promoted Alzira, Lleida and Ontinyent. Three points separated these teams so the form of that group and our own was vital in this final fixture before the winter break. Prat hung outside the top ten but could not break into it.

Sabadell was just over half an hour away – a big club with a proud history for this level. I made a call.

As luck would have it, they played Hospitalet the day before everyone else played their final fixture of the year. Chairman Isaac Fernández gave nothing away, thanked me, and said he’d respond soon.

With the squad break in earnest before coming back for the game at the end of the week, I was at something of a loose end. They would have a week off after that too – there really was no messing with the players’ union. Moreno got back to me and reiterated his desire to hang up his boots at the end of the season. I was really impressed with his recent contribution but his was also a death-knell for Aguiar who would not be included in the next squad. The story was picked up by goal.com who called to ask whether I tried to convince him otherwise. I said of course, he’s still a fantastic player.

Maestre was recalled to defensive midfield in Matías’ absence. Amador would fill in at centre half.

Sabadell clearly weren’t fit. That was half of their problem. The other half is that they did not play like a team. Hospitalet started poorly again, though, and despite their superior stats it looked as if Sabadell, resplendent in purple, would be able to come away with something from this night game.

However, Hospitalet were patient. They broke down the away side with ease, dragging them one way and then another before crossing for Carreño to volley in at point-blank range and unmarked.

Free-kicks were Sabadell’s only response for the last ten minutes of the half and you feared for their chances in the second. Titi and Capilla, striker and number ten respectively, were out on their feet.

Canario made it two after Capilla was robbed and the ball was sent clean through between the two central defenders. It was a lovely assist from the striker to play in his attacking partner. Carreño got his second in injury time to dispel any last remaining fight in Sabadell. A devastating counter attack where number six Valín joined the attacking two and they all exchanges passes before Valín’s ball.

It was a terrible audition for the caretaker – even we didn’t give them that much space. Capilla did not return for the second half and Titi was hooked soon after in a 50th minute double substitution.

As if by magic, with eleven fit players on the pitch they were much more robust. The game petered out until fifteen minutes from time when Hospitalet’s striker wasted his chance for a hat-trick that today’s performance deserved. Desperate to win the second half, Sabadell pushed up and played with fire. A shocking pass at the back let the man of the moment in but he panicked and shot wide.

It was all over soon after that and Noel Mata was keen to email me to say that I had been spotted at Feixa Llarga and that the press would naturally link me to the post. I knew he could be the leak, so I fed him a line about checking out Hospitalet again as there were a few players that interested me, what with my transfer budget.

[Diego Imposta]

153.

As we made our way to the other side of the city, the much-travelled Ádan Vega sprang news of an opportunity in the Azores. He was keeping his cards close to his chest but said he would secretly put my interest to the board. He could only have been talking about Santa Clara. I had no chance of that.

I challenged the players to win this game. We all would have a week off anyway so give it your best!

We really struggled to cope with Prat in the opening minutes. Playing out from the back would help us recycle possession but we were nearly caught with a long searching ball over our heads. Only Paz, who was earning his money, stood in their way. Finally they were counter attacking us which is what we expected. We didn’t expect their quality possession play to open up in front of us from the start.

Rivas intercepted a corner and set Mesas free but his greed got the better of him. What was wrong?

With the game settled, we were in a comfortable position. A Paz kick eluded everyone and suddenly Luis Carlos was through on goal. He didn’t hesitate. 1-0 to Badalona! His first goal for the club, too.

We were doing a terrible job of keeping the ball, though. A sublime counter attack was fed to Dopi, trouble all day, and somehow he contrived to steer the ball wide. Amador was injured. Segura is on.

I told the men to guard against complacency. We had not won this game. The challenge did the job.

Joan was exhausted and Maestre was an accident waiting to happen. It made sense to swap them around and get Joan chasing the ball. Rivas forced a great save from the goalkeeper but the corner was wasted. An hour on the clock and their long balls were killing us. Joan was done but we had no more central defenders or defensive midfielders on the bench. Castells had played in centre mid for the under 19s so he was in, Moreno playing a deep-lying playmaker role to the left of the two. Luis Carlos was brought central, Pardavilla in line with Mesas on the right and we would sit defensively.

Prat had wasted so many opportunities to score it was getting embarrassing. Luis Carlos needed a presence in front of him so Cabanillas was on, tasked with coming deep and looking for Mesas on the right. An incredible free-kick from number ten Victor García levelled the tie, curling around the wall on the floor and beating Paz at his near post. Mesas then spurned a great opportunity after one of the best balls all day which was from Castells. Maestre pulled his groin in the last minute of time but manfully carried on. Prat won a corner four minutes into the five added on. Castells couldn’t get a toe on the ball properly as he was harried off it. He did force them into a 50 metre back-pass which got the crowd going for us. His personality was infectious. Mesas cleared a ponderous play from Prat and the referee blew his whistle. Another good result! As the squad travelled back with talk of what they would do in their mid-season break, I was happy. It had been a great run recently and the gap was closed to three points. By midweek I got word that I would not be interviewed for Sabadell.  

[Diego Imposta]

154.

I needed a break. With no transfer targets to speak of and a bank balance diminishing by the month, I took five days off. I spent time around the house, family coming and going, and living a normal life.

Montigalà was always a wonderful place when it was empty. My favourite time of the day was dawn and I made sure I was there to see it arrive. The staff should be in at eight and the players get in later after lunch to train. The only work call I got while away was from the Sabadell chairman. He dutifully explained that, as a rival of theirs, he could not entertain the idea of shortlisting me for interview. It was odd because the rivalry wasn’t mutual but ultimately it was nice to hear a reason other than the strength of other candidates. It got me settled and looking forward to January’s four games – two on the road to second and eighth place Espanyol B and Castellón, before home games against lower half opposition Lleida Esportiu and promotion buddies Alzira. It was important to keep up a momentum.

It was time to assess the squad. Simón, Querol, and Maestre were key players and I would change up so suit that. They were the highest paid players and also the most influential. 4-1-2-3 Wide was back.

Cristian, recently out of favour due to injury, and Muñoz were our only influential full-backs so they stayed too. They would be given first-team status having earned it. Both were out of contract in the summer but we could not afford new deals. Defensive roles would do. Pardavilla and Moreno would keep and be promoted to first team status too, as we looked to manage the transition in to the next season with Pardavilla and Simón, while an expensive Querol would be released and Moreno retires.

Mesas was probably the first name on the team sheet objectively speaking and we would try and get him into his favoured poaching role. Without a partner we may ask him to play a more rounded role.

The other young excellent and key player was Joan. He had been disappointing this season but if the more defensive full-backs could keep now keep him in check maybe he could live up to his potential.

Matías was an unsung hero in midfield despite a lack of competition and the goalkeeper situation is a simple one to solve. Saavedra wanted his place in the squad before his contract ran out, and Paz’s call for games was answered and now he interested Mallorca. I was happy to see what came of that.

Lorenzo was an undisputed key player and I didn’t want to upset my number one so his understudy would be a backup ‘keeper in the twilight of his career. All five goalkeepers got on well and were in the core social group, as were Duràn and Castells who would cover the wing transition accordingly.

Rivas was curiously also part of this top boys club, his potential obvious but his ability so-so. He had pipped Cabanillas to the first reserve option behind Mesas. Ávila and Segura were signed up and so would get the backup status they deserved. David García was struggling to carve out his role in the team but he was good friends with Matías and we needed an advanced playmaker to give the ball to any one of our poachers. With Luis Carlos still an outsider, he was included as part of the committee.

Amador was clearly useful at the back and would initially sit alongside Joan. I would not have space for Aguiar or Masó, who had just not done enough. Miquel, a hot prospect with influential friends, would provide cover in the middle of the park, as would Plà, with Ángel Luis covering the defence.

Young goalkeepers Martín and Vallés were finally put up for loan while the remainder were told to expect to leave the club in this window: Paz, Aguiar, Masó, Uri, Montero, and Álex. It would save us next year.

[Diego Imposta]

155.

A couple of transfers were attempted before making our way to Castellón but nothing materialised. Carles Mas, central defender stalwart at Olot, was unhappy and despite agreeing a fee of € 30 000 he simply wanted twice as much money as we were paying anyone else. Alberto, another stalwart at the back, wanted parity if he was to move from Santa Eulalia – we had to sell players to afford that.

One area that we did need to improve was defence. I had brought Álvaro Brachi to Olot off the back of his impressive playing career in eastern Europe and I wanted him again. He would link up with his erstwhile club-mate Berrocal, who I had signed again when I first joined Badalona. Now we just wait.

Match-sharpness was a real issue going into this game, circumstance handing Segura a start in at the heart of defence. Amador had still not recovered and Maestre would be preferred at the base of our midfield. So Ángel Luis would warm up the bench - the former Real Madrid youth hoping for a debut.

With friends in high places, Miquel got the nod to start alongside David Garcia ahead of Plà, who sat in reserve while Matías was still a day or two away from his groin strain rehabilitation. Luis Carlos is first striker reserve after an impressive showing in training and his first goal before the winter break.

Castellón had come up with us but were cruising in eight place. Little wonder average attendance is only bettered by Mallorca. Miquel and Plà got to experience 10 000 fans once before - at Mallorca.

With strict instruction to push striker Godoy onto his weaker foot, the players came in from the rain   and our pre-match warm up clued up and soaked through. The players immediately went quiet and looked upon Posse and myself with admiration. It was a nice moment as we delivered our team talk.

We owed Castellón after what happened on the opening day of the season. We wanted our revenge.

They were a good side, going close with their first attack. Their width was an issue but only as much as our use of the ball was – we kept inviting them back onto us and Godoy went close with a header.

After a quarter of the game Castellón’s superiority should have them ahead. They were a real puzzle as we still hadn’t made their goalkeeper work yet. We lasted an hour before Godoy broke free of his man and snuck the ball past Lorenzo. Our plan to counter-attack the second half was torn apart. We sent on Luis Carlos in place of the non-existent Mesas and have him the obligation to come deeper.

Plà had more ability on the ball than Miquel so he was on for the last 20 minutes as we sought to get a foothold on the game, probing patiently with the ball. If we were to attack later on then Luis Carlos needed to get beyond the last man. With five minutes to go, an unlucky Luis Carlos skied his shot on goal after a majestic run. Ángel Luis was on for the exhausted David Garcíá but he would sit in at the base of midfield while Maestre is pushed forward to give experience in that double-pivot ahead, too.

A lovely knock by Plà in the 93rd minute played in Simón on the right wing behind the full-back. Heart in mouth, I watched on as the defence clear the ball for a throw-in. Simon fed Plà, who kept his cool, but we struggled for an out-ball. It was all over at the wonderful Castalia. We had been second best all day but gave it a good go at the end. We were the underdogs out there and we gave it our all for 0-1. One lapse of concentration from Segura and the game was done. It was an unspectacular start to the second half of the season but there was hope here – we’d made three concessions in the side that cost us.

[Diego Imposta]

156.

The short trip to Espanyol was fraught with danger. Second in the league and needing a win to go top, it was a tense three-horse race between them Mallorca and Hércules. We would go there and contain them. Matías was back fit and Miquel would drop to the bench. Pardavilla has utterly done Querol in training and so earned his start. Paz had turned down a free transfer to Mallorca earlier in the week, playing time presumably an issue, raising concerns that we may have to just release him.

It was always a pleasure to play in our yellow away kit, although the wet pitch suited our opposition more than it did us. Dangerous left-winger Sito headed in a corner after two minutes. It was not the start we had in mind. Our response was fair, Matías doing well to release Mesas who shot well wide.

As long as we kept the ball we had a fighting chance. Good running from Simón saw a cleared ball go back to Matías who forced a fantastic fingertip save from his shot from distance. With the ball now being controlled by us we let up a little. David García seized the initiative and sent a through-ball on to Mesas from inside his own half and the young forward did not miss the opportunity. We had done it! We knew that would come again so we naturally went through the gears to match them. Mesas is on another level sometimes and just before half-time we took the lead. Following the ball out wide, the young striker put his foot on it and weighted a beauty of a pass into the box for Pardavilla to hit on his weaker foot beyond the ‘keeper for 2-1. The winger wheeled away arms outstretched and we went crazy on the bench. It was a sensational bit of play but we had to tighten up for the onslaught.

With instruction from Posse to chase down lost causes, Mesas was remoulded into a traditional line breaker. We kicked off in the nascent sunshine and tried to take the game to Espanyol B. We were then hard done by – their striker García adjudged not to have fouled Joan before going on to strike past Lorenzo for the equaliser. It left a sour taste in the mouth as we had dealt with him all day long.

He got his second in two minutes – a lovely cross from Sito hanging up in the air again for the striker who again beat our defence to it. We were losing our grip on the game. Joan and Maestre swapped so that we could win headers at the back, and Luis Carlos came on for the now ineffective Mesas. His pace was his only weapon, it seemed. Sito hit the upright from a deep cross and we had no idea how to just contain the now league leaders. Querol and Castells were on for the last ten minutes trying to forge an opening was it wasn’t coming – Espanyol had the lion’s share of the ball now. The whistle is blown and the game is over. Those first ten minutes of the second half showed why Espanyol are at the top but I couldn’t fault our effort. Nobody expected us to win but we gave it everything we had.

We had bettered these two tough fixtures by a goal compared to the start of the season. Is it enough to be called progress? If we do the same in our next three fixtures, all home, we will only get one win compared to one draw. Lleida, Alzira, and Valencia Mestalla all did for us in ways we were not ready for last time out. One thing we could not do, however, is contain these teams at home. The fans had already had their say on social media about our style of play since the break – but it was important I kept morale up for the next three and that’s what the fans don’t see. We would have lost anyway so why not?