2008–09 RCD Espanyol season

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RCD Espanyol
2008–09 season
PresidentDaniel Sánchez Llibre
Head coachTintín Márquez (to 30 November)
Mané (1 December to 20 January)
Mauricio Pochettino (from 20 January)
StadiumEstadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
La Liga10th
Copa del ReyQuarter-finals
Top goalscorerLeague: Spain Raúl Tamudo (6)[1]
All: Argentina Román Martínez (7)

The 2008–09 RCD Espanyol season was the 78th year in the club's history.

Summary[edit]

The season began with a search for a new manager, after Ernesto Valverde was appointed coach at Super League Greece club Olympiacos on 28 May.[2] In his place, the club appointed Tintín Márquez, who had been assistant manager since 2004, serving under both Valverde and his predecessor Miguel Ángel Lotina.[3]

Periquitos began their La Liga campaign on 30 August with a 1–0 home win over Real Valladolid at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, courtesy of a goal early in the second half from Luis García.[4] They followed this up with a win by the same scoreline against Recreativo de Huelva at Nuevo Colombino, before a 1–1 home draw with Getafe and losses against Sevilla and Barcelona during September.[5]

October brought mixed fortunes for Blanquiazules, with creditable draws against Real Madrid and Villarreal in the league, as well as against Segunda División side Celta Vigo in the first leg of their Copa del Rey round of 32 tie at Balaídos.[5] These were contrasted by a humbling 3–0 loss against Mallorca at ONO Estadi, helped by a brace from Aritz Aduriz.[6] They ended the month without a win, 11th in the table.[5][7]

November began more brightly, with a 1–0 home win over Osasuna. Raúl Tamudo scored the winner on the hour mark, atoning for missing a penalty in the first half.[8] Espanyol also progressed in the cup, thanks to a 3–0 win over Celta in the return leg. However, they suffered four consecutive losses in the league, to Deportivo de La Coruña, Numancia, Racing de Santander and Sporting de Gijón.[5] Following the Sporting game on 30 November, with the club 17th in the table and only a point clear of the relegation zone, Márquez was sacked.[9][10][11] The club acted quickly to replace him, with former Athletic Bilbao manager Mané appointed the following day.[12]

Mané's first game in charge was a 1–1 draw with Real Betis at Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera on 7 December, with Achille Emaná's second half goal for Betis cancelled out by an equaliser from Coro.[13] This was followed by losses at the Mestalla against Valencia and at home to Atlético Madrid,[5] which left the club in the relegation zone at the end of the year.[14]

2009 began with two draws in the league, against Mané's former club Athletic at San Mamés and at home against Almería, either side of an embarrassing 3–2 loss to Segunda División B side Polideportivo Ejido at Santo Domingo in the first leg of their Copa del Rey round of 16 tie. Although a 1–0 win in the second leg was enough for Periquitos to squeeze into the next round on away goals, another humiliation was to follow with a 4–0 loss to Málaga at La Rosaleda on 18 January.[5] This left the club 18th in the table, five points from safety,[15] and brought an end to Mané's short tenure as manager, as he was dismissed on 20 January.[16] He was replaced the same day by Argentine former Espanyol defender Mauricio Pochettino, in his first managerial role.[17][18][19]

Pochettino's tenure began with a stern test, with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona visiting for the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final, a match which Pochettino had only two training sessions to prepare for. Despite the lack of preparation, Pochettino's tactical changes helped Blanquiazules secure a surprise 0–0 draw.[19] Although they ultimately lost the return leg at Camp Nou 3–2 to exit the competition, Espanyol's league form began to improve, with three consecutive 1–1 draws against Valladolid, Recreativo and Getafe. They lost their next fixture, at home to Sevilla,[5] but this was followed by the high point of their season. They again faced Barcelona at Camp Nou, where a quick-fire brace early in the second half from Monaco loanee Nenê was enough to secure a 2–1 win, despite Yaya Touré pulling a goal back for the hosts soon afterwards.[20] This was Espanyol's first Derbi Barceloní victory at Camp Nou for 27 years.[21]

The derby win did not immediately allow Periquitos to gain momentum in the league, with only a 3–3 home draw with Mallorca interrupting a run of three losses in four games, against Real Madrid, Villarreal and Osasuna.[5] This left the club bottom of the table at the end of March, eight points from safety with ten games to play.[22] However, they would go on to win eight of their remaining games, only interrupted by a 0–0 draw with Numancia at Los Pajaritos and a 3–2 loss to Atlético Madrid at Vicente Calderón.[5] They escaped the relegation zone thanks to a 2–0 home win over Betis on 26 April,[23][24] and secured their survival with a game to spare after a 3–0 win over Almería at Estadio del Mediterráneo on 23 May.[25][26] They ultimately finished the season in a creditable 10th place.[27]

Pochettino later said he had asked for "divine intervention" to improve the club's form,[28] and he was rewarded in early June with a new contract for the next three seasons.[29] 2008–09 was Espanyol's final season playing at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, with their new home at Cornellà-El Prat inaugurated with a 3–0 friendly win over Liverpool on 2 August.[30]

Squad statistics[edit]

Last updated on 18 January 2024.[1][31][32]

No. Pos Nat Player Total La Liga Copa del Rey
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Cameroon CMR Carlos Kameni 39 0 37 0 2 0
2 DF Spain ESP Javi Chica 19 0 12+4 0 3 0
3 DF Spain ESP David García 17 0 14 0 3 0
4 DF Spain ESP Jesús María Lacruz 13 0 6+4 0 2+1 0
5 DF Spain ESP Sergio Sánchez 38 3 33 3 5 0
6 MF Argentina ARG Román Martínez 36 7 19+13 5 3+1 2
7 MF Cape Verde CPV Valdo 16 3 4+7 1 4+1 2
8 FW Spain ESP José Callejón 30 4 9+15 2 5+1 2
9 MF Spain ESP Iván de la Peña 22 4 19+3 4 0 0
10 MF Spain ESP Luis García 41 5 35+2 5 3+1 0
11 MF Serbia SRB Milan Smiljanić 22 0 6+11 0 4+1 0
12 DF France FRA Grégory Béranger 21 0 16+2 0 2+1 0
13 GK Spain ESP Javi Ruiz 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 MF Spain ESP Ángel 20 0 8+7 0 3+2 0
15 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Steve Finnan 5 0 3+1 0 1 0
16 DF Argentina ARG Nicolás Pareja 33 3 30 3 3 0
17 MF Brazil BRA Nenê 39 4 34+1 4 4 0
18 MF Spain ESP Francisco Rufete 21 0 8+10 0 2+1 0
19 DF Spain ESP Marc Torrejón 9 0 4+2 0 3 0
20 FW Spain ESP Coro 28 4 14+12 3 1+1 1
21 DF Spain ESP Daniel Jarque 39 3 36 2 2+1 1
22 MF Spain ESP Moisés Hurtado 36 3 31+1 2 4 1
23 FW Spain ESP Raúl Tamudo 26 6 23+3 6 0 0
24 FW Uruguay URU Iván Alonso 16 5 13+3 5 0 0
25 GK Argentina ARG Cristian Álvarez 5 0 1 0 4 0
31 MF Spain ESP Óscar Sielva 6 0 2+3 0 0+1 0
35 DF Spain ESP Dídac Vilà 1 0 0 0 0+1 0
Players who have left the club after the start of the season:
FW Spain ESP Jonathan Soriano 12 0 1+6 0 3+2 0

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Espanyol Barcelona » Appearances Primera División 2008/2009". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Olympiacos turn to Valverde". UEFA. 28 May 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  3. ^ "'Tintín' Márquez, nou entrenador de l'Espanyol" ['Tintín' Márquez, new Espanyol manager] (in Catalan). RCD Espanyol. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  4. ^ "Espanyol Barcelona - Real Valladolid 1:0 (Primera División 2008/2009, 1. Round)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Espanyol Barcelona » Fixtures & Results 2008/2009". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  6. ^ "RCD Mallorca - Espanyol 3:0 (Primera División 2008/2009, 8. Round)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Primera División 2008/2009 » 8. Round". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Espanyol Barcelona - CA Osasuna 1:0 (Primera División 2008/2009, 9. Round)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Márquez, cesado". RCD Espanyol. 30 November 2008. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
  10. ^ Román, Rogelio; Juárez, María Carmen (1 December 2008). "Destituido" [Dismissed] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Primera División 2008/2009 » 13. Round". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Mané, nuevo entrenador del Espanyol". RCD Espanyol. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
  13. ^ "Real Betis - Espanyol Barcelona 1:1 (Primera División 2008/2009, 14. Round)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Primera División 2008/2009 » 16. Round". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Primera División 2008/2009 » 19. Round". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Mané, destituido como técnico del Espanyol". RCD Espanyol. 20 January 2009. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
  17. ^ "Pochettino será el nuevo técnico del Espanyol". RCD Espanyol. 20 January 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
  18. ^ "Pochettino replaces luckless Mané at Espanyol". UEFA. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  19. ^ a b Hytner, David (30 September 2016). "Mauricio Pochettino to face Guardiola as an equal in a rivalry born in Barcelona". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  20. ^ "FC Barcelona - Espanyol Barcelona 1:2 (Primera División 2008/2009, 24. Round)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  21. ^ Pitt-Brooke, Jack (30 September 2016). "Tottenham vs Manchester City: Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola's riveting rivalry resumes". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  22. ^ "Primera División 2008/2009 » 28. Round". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  23. ^ "Primera División 2008/2009 » 32. Round". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  24. ^ "Primera División 2008/2009 » 33. Round". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Primera División 2008/2009 » 36. Round". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  26. ^ "Primera División 2008/2009 » 37. Round". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Primera División 2008/2009 » 38. Round". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  28. ^ Lowe, Sid (8 June 2009). "It's the Sids 2009! The complete review of La Liga season". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  29. ^ "Pochettino renueva tres años con el Espanyol" [Pochettino renews with Espanyol for three years]. Marca (in Spanish). 8 June 2009. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  30. ^ "Liverpool Crushed As Espanyol Celebrates New Stadium In Style". Goal.com. 2 August 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  31. ^ "Espanyol Barcelona » Squad 2008/2009". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Espanyol Barcelona » Appearances Copa del Rey 2008/2009". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
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