As one rookie managerial appointment grabbed the days headlines, CD Tenerife’s own novice Pep Marti got more proof that the dream job can so easily become a nightmare. Sloppy defending and a suicidal rush of blood from goalie Dani Hernandez left a Teide sized mountain to climb with a 0-2 half time deficit that was chipped back for a 1-2 loss to Alcorcon.
There’s a problem with the CD Tenerife engine room, it’s not firing properly, Vitolo and Aitor Sanz are both past their best, we could risk one each game but the pair together leave our strikers isolated. At the other end of the spectrum, the local kids are still learning and not mentally tough, Jorge and Cristo Gonzalez both looked dispirited at the end of the game. These are problems that Pep Marti has inherited and may be addressed in the transfer window but stamping out basic errors will be a stern test of the coach’s credentials.
Jorge is a player I rate but he had a mare in the centre of defence and was bailed out a few times in the first half by his team mates. Jon Aurtenetxe responded well to the signing of Saul and had a solid game, he chested the ball down to Dani after just 10 minutes to break up an Alcorcon raid. The keeper made a couple of decent stops as former Brighton player David Rodriguez showed why CDT tried to sign him a couple of seasons ago.
Up front though Cristo and Choco could have taken up knitting as they waited for some encouragement. A 0-0 half time score would have been welcome but after 41 minutes the centre of the park opened up with Jorge missing in action, Campana hit a speculative shot that hit Oscar Plano and deflected into the net. Three minutes later there was grazing room again in front of the Tenerife goal, Plano raced trough and couldn’t believe his luck when Dani panicked and lunged towards him. It was a gift, the Alcorcon player went down and Rodriguez buried the spot kick. Dani was lucky only to get a yellow card but it punctured the mood of the evening.
The second half was a bit better from Tenerife but they were chasing shadows, Suso was predictable and Omar departed to give Tommy Martinez 30 minutes. The River Plate loanee again showed that he is worth a starting place, he makes thing happen and is full of running. Nano came on for Suso and Cristian Garcia finally reappeared after his injury troubles, he is certainly a candidate for a prolonged midfield run. Aurtenetxe supplied a good feed for Choco after 78 minutes and his goal gave some hope but time was against us. Tommy gave Djene the jitters, the defender just about juggled his shot away and a later Tommy long shot wasn’t too far off target.
It wasn’t the start to 2016 that the 8,742 crowd was hoping for, home form has got to count for something if we are to avoid a relegation battle. January additions will play a big part in shaping our season, it’s tough though shopping in the bargain bucket, Pep Marti must be very envious of his richer rookie colleague.
Outplayed and outgunned, CD Marino were fortunate to limit second placed Atletico Las Palmas to a 0-3 victory as they opened 2016 at home. There were selection problems with midfielder Kilian missing and defender Bradley Mills out with a foot injury. Connor moved into midfield and Kevin Castro was also out of position as he had a torrid time in the right back slot.
Las Palmas B team were the most impressive visitors this season, former CD Tenerife B striker Jefte tortured Kevin Castro down the left wing and even when the Gran Canarian team lost Juanma, injured scoring the opening goal, his replacement, Martin, turned out to be another lethal striker. Marino made a bold start, Javi Marchena forced an early corner but it was wasted, new home forward Amad from Senegal showed some pace but fired too high after nearly 10 minutes.
Mendy had to be at his best to clear one of Las Palmas first attacks but they soon got into their stride and Juanma powered through the middle after 15 minutes to score but instead of celebrating he had to be helped off the pitch with a leg injury. Martin made an immediate impression and almost added a second goal but shot wide. Jefte was strong and confident and turned quickly to fire in a shot that Marko Cicovic did well to cover. It would have been a good day to turn on the style for a larger than usual holiday crowd but Las Palmas closed Marino down and restricted their build ups.
Mendy made a rare mistake on the half hour selling his keeper short with a back pass, Marko had to make a crunching tackle to stop a second goal from being poached. There was more work for the busy goalie to do a few minutes later, Jefte showed his power in the air as he headed down a cross that Marko covered well. The continued pressure paid off five minutes before the break, Borja cut in from the right and found plenty of space to make it 0-2. A late free kick held out some hope for Marino but they couldn’t turn it into a goal and went in with plenty to think about.
Marchena tried to carve out an opening down the left early after the restart but was squeezed out by two visiting defenders. Arsen replaced Josito but this time there was no first touch goal, though he did give the Las Palmas defence a few more problems as Amad dropped back a little deeper. Matias had an easy chance to increase the divide and surprisingly blasted thee ball wide, and Marko had to slide out to stop another away chance. Into the last 20 minutes and Martin put the result beyond question as he pounced to make it 0-3.
Kevin Castro gave in to his natural attacking instincts and tried to push up more, he headed close to the goal and forced another corner but heads were dropping a little. Sub Sandro wasn’t too far off with a wild long shot but Las Palmas still had plenty of their own ideas, their sub Pedro could have done better with two good chances. It was a tough lesson for Marino and they need to find their way back to picking up points. Amad looked like he could be useful once match fit and hopefully a couple more new signings will make a difference but it is going to be a tough 2016.