Nil Vidal

Central Defender - Deportivo La Coruña
1 Jan 2036
Tuesday
Process

Marked for Nil Vidal

405 Edition

The Deportivo La Coruña Sentinel

1 May 2034
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A fracture rules Roberto Camacho out for 35 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Deportivo La Coruña will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Player ratings

A brace, and David Mella takes the afternoon — 8.41

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. David Mella provided it, and the 8.41 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Player ratings

Rubén Sánchez, 33, rolls back the years — 7.80

There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.80 at 33, and nobody on the pitch was better.

Squad

Nil Vidal: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Deportivo La Coruña have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Deportivo La Coruña

Adama Traoré was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Words at Deportivo La Coruña training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mario Soriano is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Match

David Mella rescues a point for Deportivo La Coruña

It needed David Mella to find the net to bring anything home at all: 2‑2 against Girona, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Leo Román

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

Market

The Javi Guerra story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Javi Guerra signs something — a contract at Deportivo La Coruña or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

Back issues
395 Edition

The Deportivo La Coruña Sentinel

20 Feb 2034
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Adama Traoré in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Deportivo La Coruña this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

David Mella runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

6 goals as Deportivo La Coruña and Athletic Bilbao go for it

Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between Deportivo La Coruña and Athletic Bilbao, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.

Match

Athletic Bilbao take the points off Deportivo La Coruña

Beaten 2‑4, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Words at Deportivo La Coruña training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Youte is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Squad

When it matters, David Mella plays

It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on David Mella

6 goals and a season average of 7.21 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Market

The Leo Román talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Deportivo La Coruña know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Player ratings

Zé Carlos changes it off the bench

He was not in the side at half past three and he had settled it before five. Half an hour, and Deportivo La Coruña had a different afternoon.

In brief