Aarón Escandell has been accumulating work under the sticks for weeks. A lot. So much so that his case is no longer just a good streak: it is a pattern. In an Oviedo that lives on the edge and needs points like oxygen, the Valencian goalkeeper has become the team’s most stable support. And that, although it may sound paradoxical, also portrays the other side: for a goalkeeper to stand out so much, it is normally because they are throwing too much at him, although it is true that since the arrival of Guillermo Almada to the blue bench, Aarón has less work.
The numbers help to understand the size of the goalkeeper who supports Oviedo. He has made 90 stops in 18 games, with a 76.9 percent success rate. In fact, he is the goalkeeper who has saved the most in the five major European Leagues. In Mendizorroza, against Alavés, the script was repeated again: Oviedo competed, generated and, even so, needed their goalkeeper to hold the point. The 1-1 left bittersweet feelings and also evidence: the team is better, but it is not enough yet.
Escandell, in fact, came away satisfied with the collective image despite not closing the game. “We haven’t been able to take the three points, but we have taken one, it’s something positive. We deserved something more, but I’m very happy with the image of the team,” said the striker who, as is normal in a transfer market, is receiving offers, although as he himself confirmed, he doesn’t think about anything other than Oviedo. His name, as usual, begins to ring. With a goalkeeper who appears every day in the summary of the best saves, it would be normal for his phone to smoke. But Aarón was clear, using humor: “The only one I pick up the phone from is my wife when the games are over, who calls me to ask me how things are going.”
“I have no idea about anything that has to do with the market. I am out of that topic and very focused on Oviedo, on turning the situation around and together being able to achieve salvation,” said the Carcagente goalkeeper. Translation: no distractions or intentions beyond the blue. If offers arrive, there will be time. Now, the priority is permanence. “The sports management is the one that has to work to bring the reinforcements they believe necessary to help us maintain the category,” he concluded.
On the other hand, and from his point of view, there is a clear line of growth since the change of bench. “At first it was difficult for us to generate, then we started to do it and we have finally managed to score. We are evolving in front of goal. We are much more compact, we play with greater intensity. When we are together and close to the rival area is when we are a good team,” he said. The problem is the same as always: translating that improvement into victories. “We want to add three as soon as possible to get hooked and get out of there,” he insisted.
Furthermore, Aarón is very happy with the support he sees reflected in the blue fans. “At no time did I believe that the fans were not with us. They always have been, in good times and bad.” He also spoke about the refereeing controversy (the red card for Viñas and the foul by Sibo that led to Lucas Boyé’s goal). The goal chose to be discreet. “I’ve been talking to Gil Manzano, nothing has happened. He’s a great referee… It’s difficult to put yourself in his place.” Still, he got wet. “The second yellow does seem acceptable to me, the first perhaps not,” he told the media stationed there.
The summary is that Oviedo can boast of having one of the best goalkeepers of the moment. It is a luxury, but at the same time, an alarm. Because if Aarón has to continue collecting stops, the team will continue walking off the cliff. But in a fight as tough as permanence, having insurance like this changes everything. And having Aarón is a privilege for Oviedo fans.