Since that memorable night at the Villamarín with David García’s goal that forced extra time and Sergio Herrera as a hero in the penalty shootout, there has been a slowdown that does not jeopardize permanence, without detracting from the valuable ninth position that occupies, but that should put the rojillos on alert from now on.
The numbers are illuminating. Osasuna is, along with Valencia, the worst team considering the last nine games. Or what is the same, since he eliminated Betis. That happened in mid-January. The calendar has not been easy.
Only seven points have been put in the backpack with the solitary victory at Pizjuán, the draws against Elche, Espanyol, Valladolid and Celta, and the defeats against Atlético, Real Madrid, Valencia and Villarreal. Five goals (three in one game) are scarce for an Osasuna that during the season was showing a clear improvement in its offensive flow.
The car has circulated at a different speed in the Cup, a competition in which the club and the squad have put all five senses into since the first rounds were played. Arrasate set the challenge from the trip to Fuentes de Ebro in November, arguing that the situation in the League and the depth of the squad allowed us to approach the tournament with a different illusion from that of other campaigns.
And there, Osasuna has given the chest, competing in a formidable way with three qualifiers that went to extra time and taking an encouraging result in the first leg of the semifinal. Five goals against Betis, Sevilla and Athletic, curiously the same as in the nine league games, in addition to a very compact and recognizable team sensation.
THE LIGHTNING AND THE LEVANT
It is not surprising that a bump appears when having less experience and resources to alternate between two competitions. There are precedents. Last year, Rayo reached the semifinals while registering two uneven faces in the League. He was sixth at the end of the first round with 30 points and finished as the worst in the second with only 12. In 2020-21, something similar happened to Levante, which reached the prelude to the final and was one of the three worst in the last fifteen days.
Osasuna has room to reactivate in the League. On Tuesday, they will play in San Mamés one of the most exciting clashes in their recent history, the one that can give them a place in the final 18 years later. But first, tomorrow, he will have to deal with Mallorca in search of a reaction. The lineup is sure to be conditioned by the Cup or the recently arrived internationals. Arrasate tries to show in the locker room that the eyes, and the heart, do not look further than Son Moix to revive stimuli and arrive with full confidence in Bilbao.
Team Points last 9 days
1. Barcelona 24
2. Atl.Madrid 23
3. Celta 17
4. Betis 17
5. Real Madrid 15
6. Royal Society 13
7. Villarreal 13
8. Sevilla 13
9.Getafe 12
10. Cadiz 12
11. Valladolid 11
12. Girona 10
13. Athl. Bilbao 10
14. Mallorca 10
15. Ray Vallecano 10
16. Espanyol 10
17. Almeria 8
18. Elche 8
19. Valencia 7
20. Health 7
