Relegation with three games to go is seemingly the height of embarrassment. However Barcelona stuck the knife in and ensured Cordoba’s tumble out of La Liga was a painful one, with an emphatic 8-0 win.
Jose Antonio Romero and the Cordoba fan base seemed drained of all hope well before the match. Without a win in their last 17 matches and up against the free-scoring League leaders they were resigned to defeat and subsequent relegation. This was a stark contrast from the boundless optimism present at the start of the season.
And why shouldn’t they have been optimistic? Although they rode their luck, squeezing into the play-offs on goal difference, they made it to La Liga after 42 years in the dark. It was the perfect story. No promoted side were immediately relegated from last year’s La Liga which may have filled them with hope.
So where did it all go wrong for Cordoba? Well, there were very few points where things went right. The Andalusians didn’t win any of their opening 14 matches, consigning themselves to a relegation dogfight from the get-go. After such as poor start, Albert Ferrer and subsequently Miroslav Djukic’s job were on the line.
No team with three different Coaches in the same season can expect any kind of success. But given the records of both Ferrer and Djukic, their departures from the club are understandable. The job fell to Romero on an interim basis with the sole task of trying to keep the team in the division, which he has failed to do.
Despite the early optimism, Cordoba were essentially doomed from the start. With no money in the bank, they didn’t spend a penny on any of the 19 players they signed for this season, all a mixture of loans and free transfers.
Cordoba’s biggest problem has been finding the back of the net. 21 goals in 35 games, as well as 61 conceded, will never keep a team in La Liga. Nabil Ghilas is their top scorer with seven goals followed by Florin Andone on five, who started off with the B side. Fede Cartabia was arguably their most creative and influential player throughout the season, but he most likely won’t be there next season to help them bounce back.
They needed an injection of genuine quality and it was not forthcoming. But not every team can spend as they like and let their finances spiral out of control, as Elche are learning the hard way.
There was a sprig of hope amongst their barren run which saw them win three of their six matches around Christmas. But Papa Noel wasn’t so generous the rest of the year round, as they endured a horrific run which saw them lose 10 matches in a row.
Granada are up next, and they’ll be looking to pounce on Los Califas’ despondency and escape the drop themselves. At this point, the best Cordoba can hope to do is go out with a bit of dignity, holding their heads up high.
