The Málaga Gazette
Match5 Dec 2026
No end in sight to Málaga's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Málaga has to find a result from somewhere.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
Julen Lobete keeps the receipts
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Málaga may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Match5 Dec 2026
Chupete’s goal not enough for Málaga
Chupete scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Cultural Leonesa, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
Izan Merino gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom7 Dec 2026
Nobody left the Málaga dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
David Larrubia runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑2 Aimar Diez left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
José Salinas dropped after a run of poor form
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
Looking ahead7 Dec 2026
Juan Berrocal goes back to face Eibar
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Juan Berrocal’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Málaga needing him to play as if none of it matters.
In brief
- Squad Izan Merino has seen what the next man earns
- Squad “I want to play”: Rafita speaks
- Squad Fernando Calero speaks, and the room listens