Winless and luckless, Almería on course to become La Liga’s worst ever side | Sid Lowe
Union Deportiva Almería is having a difficult time winning their matches. Despite taking many shots during their games, they still haven't won. It doesn't matter how many goals their striker scores, they still can't seem to get a win. Even when they played against the top three teams, they only managed to score two goals against each but still didn't win. They have changed their goalkeeper and coach three times, but their win rate remains at 0%. Coach Gaizka Garitano believes it wouldn't make a difference if they had 30 coaches.
Almería is struggling to win a game, as they have not won one in the last 21 games. Garitano, the coach, suggested that he and his assistant, who are both old, defend the set pieces themselves to help the team. It seems like having a good forward player would help too. Unfortunately, the team is at the bottom of the league with only six points out of 63 and they are 10 points away from the safety zone. Their last win was eight months ago, and they have had four different managers since then. Garitano expressed his frustration by saying that winning seems impossible at times, especially now. They are currently the worst Spanish top-flight team of the 21st century, and the last team to perform this poorly was Sporting Gijon in 1997-98, who finished with only 13 points.
If this continues, Almería could pose a threat to them, which isn't a desirable outcome. This situation is becoming ridiculous. Aside from their loss to Osasuna, it could be argued that they have been unbeaten in their last nine games, providing a glimmer of hope. This impressive record is made more impressive by the fact that it includes matches against the top teams in the league. They have managed to draw their last three home games without conceding any goals. Although they started poorly, they have improved, and they are now putting up a good fight. Despite their best efforts, they cannot seem to secure a win in the league. The nearer they get to victory, the more it hurts when the chance passes them by, making them feel like a cursed club. According to the Spanish proverb, it is as though a one-eyed man has seen them.
Even with a three-goal lead against Granada, who are considered the second worst team, they failed to secure a win. Garitano acknowledged that they played well, but still lost to Real Sociedad due to conceding goals in the 91st and 95th minute. Las Palmas also defeated them in the 94th minute. Although they hit the bar twice against Betis, they couldn't score and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Despite their efforts, they were unable to beat Atlético and were defeated. They managed to score two goals in a game against Barcelona, but ultimately lost, with Sergi Roberto scoring twice. Last week they succeeded in keeping the league leaders at bay and drew with Girona, which Michel, the coach of Girona, considered a "great point". However, this Saturday, they were dominated by Almería, who quickly scored a goal and eventually won with three goals.
Marc Pubill, the full-back, expressed that it seems as though someone has made the decision that they are unable to succeed.
Osasuna has defeated Getafe with a score of 3-2, while Real Madrid also won against Almeria by 3-2. Real Betis was beaten by Barcelona with a score of 4-2, and Girona dominated Sevilla with a score of 5-1. In another game, Rayo Vallecano lost to Las Palmas by 0-2. Villarreal and Real Mallorca drew 1-1. Meanwhile, Valencia won 1-0 against Athletic Bilbao. Celta Vigo succumbed to Real Sociedad's 1-0 victory. Finally, Alaves won 1-0 over Cadiz.
This time, the referee named Alejandro Hernández Hernández, who is known to be very good, is being accused of having a bias against Real Madrid by people, even though it is not uncommon. Almería is not happy with him either and do not wish to mention his name again. After his team was defeated 3-2, Garitano expressed his disappointment about the situation and the impact it had on his players. He was careful not to say too much, as he was worried about getting into trouble for speaking his mind. Garitano was particularly frustrated and did not have the words to explain what had happened, but he hoped that people saw it for themselves.
The occurrence was as follows:
Largie Ramazani made a great move and scored a goal for Almería just 43 seconds after the game started. He celebrated by doing a backflip in the corner. Then, on 43 minutes, Edgar González made an amazing shot and scored another goal, making it 2-0. Later, on 57 minutes, Jude Bellingham scored a penalty kick after Kaiky hit the ball with his hand. This made the score 2-1. Sergio Arribas made a goal with only six minutes left, making the score 3-1. However, the play was reviewed and Dion Lopy was penalized for hitting Bellingham in the face with his hand, so the goal didn't count.
Vinicius scored the equalizer five minutes later by kicking the ball into the net with his arm and it looked like he was dancing like a chicken. Referee Francisco Hernández Maeso originally called it as a handball but after a review by Hernández Hernández, it was determined to be a shoulder instead. Garitano, the coach, was getting frustrated on the sidelines and may have wished the game was over. However, Bellingham had a great second half and almost scored for Madrid, but it was ruled out for offside. The game entered into 11 minutes of added time and just before the 100th minute, Dani Carvajal scored the winning goal, causing the crowd to go wild.
Almería is known for being a bit more untamed than the rest, while for most people, Huesca is considered tamer. However, this sentiment is generally shared by many. In fact, one of the midfielders, Gonzalo Melero, went so far as to express that he felt robbed.
"All the decisions went in their favor. The first one was a foul against me, and the second one was a handball. However, I'm frustrated and agitated at the moment, so it's challenging to evaluate the situation accurately," commented Edgar.
Carvajal attempted to alleviate Gonzalo's concerns, reassuring him that all three parties involved were correct if he were to observe the situation calmly. However, the VAR footage, which is now released after the game in Spain, did not provide much assistance. Almería openly raised doubts as to how the VAR had been executed, questioning why all images were not provided to the referee. Almería claimed that Joselu pushed Kaiky during the incident with Toni Rüdiger similarly pushing Edgar in front of him. However, this particular possibility was not considered or verified during the VAR conversations.
The official in charge was presented with a video recording of Vinicius' goal, which showed an aerial perspective from a distance and behind. When viewed from this angle, it appeared that the ball had made contact with Vinicius' shoulder, although making a distinction between shoulder and arm seemed rather futile. The alternate perspective, which was from a closer position and in front-on view, made it seem like the ball had hit his arm closer to the elbow than the shoulder. The official, Hernández Hernández, informed Hernández Maeso that the footage showed the ball hit Vinicius' shoulder. In contrast, the disallowed goal was the result of a handball that occurred right in front of the referee on the field.
Melero firmly stated that VAR isn't necessary and actually causes harm. He expressed disappointment that Spanish football is lagging behind and couldn't believe the events of that day. He believed that all possible measures were taken to guarantee a win for the opposing team. Edgar also felt that his team was treated unfairly with opposition players being given more leniency with their actions and his team being handed cards left and right. Although he understood the difference in status between Almería and Real Madrid, he stressed the importance of fairness for all competitors in the competition.
Ramazani used Twitter to share the memorable outburst of Didier Drogba in Stamford Bridge, which was directed towards their semi-final match against Barcelona. He then expressed his lack of words to describe the incident. Cesar Montes shared a closed mouth emoji to reflect being speechless. The Diario de Almería described it as the greatest robbery of the century. On their official webpage, Almería refrained from giving a match report and claimed that everything was pretty obvious. Vinicius deemed it as a remarkable golazo.
Sunday was an eventful day in football with 22 goals scored across four games. Jesús Areso scored an incredible goal, and two players who are only 16 years old played in the same starting team for the first time (excluding those on strike). Two hat-tricks were also scored, including one secured in six minutes. Isco was dancing, and the matches had scores of 3-2, 4-2, and 5-1 respectively. The excitement of Sunday will continue to dominate discussion for several days. Meanwhile, Xavi Hernández, whose club is being investigated for paying the vice-president of the referees' committee over 17 years, commented that "something didn't fit" after Barcelona's win against Betis. A Catalan newspaper called El Mundo Deportivo labeled it a "robbery."
The common teams were present, as well as the usual confrontation: the agony, the leading roles that were consistently refused to others, and the team that endures the most pain. Their fury could be comprehended easily, and even justification was acceptable due to the high intensity of the moment. Unfortunately, Almería couldn't even triumph in this scenario.
Once again, Almería has suffered another loss. This is unacceptable considering they have one of the larger budgets in the league, spending almost €50m (£42m) in the summer transfer window. Despite this, they are at the bottom of the table, and it doesn't seem likely that they will move up. When Luis Suárez scored a hat-trick, he unfortunately suffered a broken ankle and was stretchered off. This led to the team losing a three-goal lead, illustrating their struggles. While Suarez is close to returning and played briefly last week, he is the only real striker on the team. At this point, it may be too late to turn things around. In addition, it's not just a case of bad luck. When Garitano claimed that his team performed well, he didn't deny that they also made mistakes.
The Union Deportiva Almería team is struggling to secure any wins, and their situation could worsen to becoming the worst team of all time if they fail to score victories soon. As each week passes without success, their hopelessness intensifies and any defeat is more agonizing. Only two more losses will put Almería on record for having the longest winless streak in La Liga's history. It is possible that no matter what they do, they cannot seem to turn things around. The scenario is disempowering, and the players do not comprehend their situation fully. Edgar shared his thoughts on Sunday, pointing out that even though referees are not the sole reason they are at the bottom, the situation is still heart-wrenching.
