On Monday, #EibarMálaga will kick off the second round of LaLiga 2017/18 for the Blue and Whites. Here we look back on three seasons in the elite with MCF, and one with CD Málaga, with permanency that was both a struggle and a delight.
The team ended the first round with 17 points, in 16th place, one above the relegation zone. Following the departure of Jesualdo Ferreira, and with the arrival of Baptista, Demichelis, Camacho, Maresca and Willy Caballero, the Manuel Pellegrini stamp was conveyed with good gameplay and results. Málaga CF ended the season in 11th place with 46 points, 29 of which were earned in a fantastic second round, ending with 7 victories and 2 draws in the last 11 games.
This season was a hard-fought struggle from beginning to end, with Muñiz’s men having 13 games in a row without a win in the first round, nor in the last 11 matches. Half-way through, two consecutive away victories against Atlético de Madrid and Racing, plus a home win against Espanyol, on matchdays 20, 22 and 23, kept the permanency hope alive, that was sealed in the last breath at Martiricos against Real Madrid. Duda was the ‘pichichi’ with 8 goals that season, which MCF ended with 37 points in 17th place.
A well-remembered campaign for the great change shown in the second stretch of the League. Goyo Manzano, after 18 matches (18th, 15 points) gave way on the bench to Antonio Tapia, who had been ‘promoted’ from Málaga B to the first team. The stats with the current director of the Academy were historic, achieving 36 points in 20 games, climbing to 10th place in the table. The Club’s biggest away win in the First Division was unforgettable, a colossal 1-6 in Pamplona. The winter signing of Baiano (9 goals in 17 games) was fundamental.
1988/89 season
CD Málaga, newly promoted to the First Division, remained in the elite following a campaign where the team was always in mid-to low positions in the table. Luis Costa was substituted on the bench by Antonio Benítez on matchday 20 (15 points), and the team, in a League with just two points for a victory, ended in 16th place, just above the promotion and relegation positions. Paquito and Juanito, with 8 and 5 goals, were outstanding members of the team, full of historic players such as Esteban, Jaro, Chano, Álvarez and Lauridsen, amongst many others.