Midfield Crisis Looms for Almería Ahead of Córdoba Clash
With Baba suspended and three other midfielders facing fitness concerns, Rubi's engine room options are looking thinner than a supermodel's diet plan for Saturday's match.
Almería boss Rubi finds himself in a right pickle with his midfield options dropping faster than a stone in the Thames before Saturday’s home fixture against Córdoba.
Midfield Meltdown
After returning to training following Friday’s victory over Andorra, the situation in the middle of the park has become crystal clear - and it ain’t pretty. Only two central midfielders trained normally with the group:
- Dzodic - The lone fully fit option
- Baba - Fit but suspended due to accumulation of yellow cards
This leaves Rubi with a proper headache considering his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation requires two holding midfielders behind the untouchable Arribas in the number 10 role.
The Walking Wounded
The rest of Almería’s engine room is in various states of disrepair:
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Lopy - Out since early January with a right femoral rectus tear. While he might make the squad this weekend after six weeks on the sidelines, a starting berth seems about as likely as snow in Almería.
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Gui Guedes - Started against Andorra but felt adductor discomfort before half-time. Though substituted after the break, Rubi claimed it wasn’t injury-related. If his recovery goes well, the Portuguese midfielder could partner Dzodic, but it’s far from certain.
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André Horta - The Braga loanee left training early after a lengthy chat with the club’s medical chief, Sebastián Jiménez. His body language suggested discomfort, casting serious doubt on his availability for Saturday’s 6:30pm kickoff.
Emergency Solutions
Rubi’s concern was evident when he pulled Dzodic from the final training match to protect his only fully available midfielder. With options thinner than a budget airline sandwich, the gaffer might need to get creative.
One potential solution involves switching from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3, with Arribas dropping deeper alongside Arnau Puigmal as interior midfielders, with Dzodic anchoring as a more positional pivot.
Beyond this tactical rejig, Rubi has precious few options to solve his midfield conundrum. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place!